BKT?s wide range of specialist off-highway tyres welcomes a new giant product, the Earthmax SR 468, designed for rigid dump trucks. So far the prototype has been made in the 40.00 R 57 size and is ready to be tested in coming months by BKT engineers
The Earthmax SR 468 joins the numerous products which make up the Earthmax family, a range of radial tyres used on off-road vehicles and equipped with an all-steel structure which provides greater resistance to the casing and hence against damage.
A winning feature of the Earthmax SR 468 is the special tread design and the compound, created to limit the heat generated. The E4-tread depth provides extreme resistance in highly challenging conditions.
Incredible challenge
The history of Earthmax SR 468 is interesting as the new machinery to manufacture the enormous tyre managed to reach the Indian plant in Bhuj, Gujarat last January, just before the lockdown which affected ? at various levels and at different times ? the Asian continent too.
Initially, owing to the emergency situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the machinery that reached Bhuj was not immediately installed. After a temporary shutdown of BKT?s manufacturing facilities, which was necessary to implement a rigorous safety plan for all staff, activities finally returned to full operation. The machinery for the giant 57? tyre was installed with online support from the manufacturer?s staff who coordinated with BKT engineers on site
?Despite the pandemic and the extreme difficulties caused by the situation, in BKT we achieved the impossible: going ahead very determinedly but with a similar focus on people, who for us are the company?s real assets,? says Rajiv Poddar, joint managing director of BKT.
?With this giant 57? tyre, the prototype of which has been made thanks to the extraordinary determination of my fellow workers, we wish to send a positive message to the market, to our partner distributors and to our end users. In BKT, research and development into new products, which help the company evolve and the sector, has not stopped. Thanks to the enthusiasm and know?how, BKT always finds new ways to grow, even in the most complex situations.?
Dilip Vaidya, president and director of technology at BKT, says, ?At this time we must call on all our strength, energy and all our creativity. That is what drives BKT?s initiatives and also its products.?
Talking more about the BKT?s new product, Dilip adds, ?It is a very important moment. The giant tyre will now be subject to the most rigorous testing up to the spring of 2021, until we are sure we have achieved the highest possible level of quality and reliability, as always. Only when we are absolutely sure, we will offer our users the best Earthmax SR 468 possible, and officially launch the giant 57? tyre.?
