The first edition of the two-day TESS Conference held in New Delhi focused sharply on technology, environment, safety and standards aspects of the tyre sector.
Organised by the Automotive Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (ATMA) on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of its technical wing, the Indian Tyre Technical Advisory Committee (ITTAC), the event had over 350 participants from India and abroad. In one of the biggest such gatherings, around 20 chosen international experts made presentations on topics ranging from the tyre regulatory framework to standards implementation and environment conservation. The second day of the conference was focussed on road safety where experts from the Indian Institutes of Technology and leading research institutes made their presentations.
Given India’s rising stature in the automobile ecosystem, delegations from European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA), European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) and the Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association (JATMA) held parleys with their Indian counterparts on the sidelines of the conference with a view to sharing the agenda for international regulatory framework and the way ahead for sharing experiences, technologies and practices.
Mr. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Union Minister for Skill Development, made his keynote address with an impassioned plea for making the Indian tyre sector more competitive through robust skilling framework. The Guest of Honour, Ms. Sheela Thomas, Secretary-General, Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC), exhorted the industry to help increase efficiencies in rubber plantations and other raw materials so as to make the most of raw material availability. She admired the industry’s contribution in increasing the quality of domestic natural rubber.
Mr. Sanjay Mitra, Secretary Ministry of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, called for a collaborative approach by all the stakeholders for improving road safety in India.