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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

MULTI AXLE VEHICLES









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1.1 INDUSTRY PROFILE TYRE INDUSTRY
A tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and
enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs cock while
keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground. The word itself may be derived from
the word "tie," which refers to the outer steel ring part of a wooden cart wheel that ties
the wood segments together.
The fundamental materials of modern tyres are synthetic rubber, natural rubber,
fabric, and wire, along with other compound chemicals. They consist of a read and a
body. The tread provides traction while the body ensures support. Before rubber was
invented, the first versions of tyres were simply bands of metal t fitted around wooden
wheels in order to prevent wear and tear. Today, the vast majority of tyres are pneumatic,
comprising a doughnut-shaped body of cords and wires encased in rubber and generally
filled with compressed air to form an inflatable cushion. Pneumatic tyres are used on
many types of vehicles, such as cycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, earthmovers, and
aircraft.








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1.2 HISTORY
Iron Tyres
The earliest tyres were bands of iron (later steel), placed on wooden wheels, used
on carts and wagons. The tyre would be heated in a forge fire, placed over the wheel and
quenched, causing the metal to contract and fit tightly on the wheel. A skilled worker,
known as a wheelwright, carried out this work. The outer ring served to "tie" the wheel
segments together for use, providing also a wear-resistant surface to the perimeter of the
wheel. The word "tyre" thus emerged as a variant spelling to refer to the metal bands used
to tie wheels. So these tyres were able to sustain very heavy pressures.

Rubber Tyres
The first practical pneumatic tyre was made by John Boyd Dunlop, born in
Scotland, while working as a veterinarian in May Street, Belfast, in 1887 for his son's
bicycle, in an effort to prevent the headaches his son had while riding on rough roads
(Dunlop's patent was later declared invalid because of prior art by fellow Scot Robert
William Thomson). Dunlop is credited with "realizing rubber could withstand the wear
and tear of being a tyre while retaining its resilience".

Pneumatic tyres are made of a flexible elastomeric material, such as rubber, with
reinforcing materials such as fabric and wire. Tyre companies were first started in the
early 21st century, and grew in tandem with the auto industry. Today, per 1 billion tyres
are produced annually, in over 600 tyre factories, with the three top tyre makers
commanding a 60% global market share.










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Chronology
1843 - Charles Goodyear announces vulcanization
1846 - Robert William Thomson invents and patents the pneumatic tyre
1880 - John Boyd Dunlop begins taping pneumatic tyres to bicycle wheels.
1888 - First commercial pneumatic bicycle tyre produced by Dunlop
1889 - Dunlop patents the pneumatic tyre in the UK
I889 - Adelphi Clement sees a Dunlop pneumatic tyre in London and acquires the French
manufacturing rights for 50,000 francs
1890 - Dunlop, and William Harvey Du Cros begin production of pneumatic tyres in
Ireland; thickened beads, wire retainers, and shaped rims make taping tyres to rims
unnecessary.
1890 - Bartlett Clincher rim introduced
1891 - Dunlop's patent invalidated in favor of Thomson's
1891 - The Michelin brothers patent a removable pneumatic tyre, used by Charles Terront
to win the world's first long distance cycle race, Paris-Brest-Paris.
1892 - Beaded edge tyres introduced in the U.S.
1893 - Cotton reinforcing cords have appeared
1894 - E.J. Pennington invents the first balloon tyre
1895 - Michelin introduces pneumatic automobile tyres; Andre Michelin uses corded
tyres in Paris-Bordeaux-Paris rally: by 1897, they are standard racing tyres
1898 - Schrader valve stem patented
1900 - Cord tyres introduced by Palmer (England) and BFGoodrich (U.S.)
1903 - Goodyear Tyre Company patents the first tubeless tyre, which was introduced in
1954 by Goodyear on Packard's)
1904 - Goodyear and Firestone start producing cord-reinforced tyres
1904 - Mountable rims introduced, allowing drivers to fix their own flats
1906 - First pneumatic aircraft tyre
1908 - Frank Sobering invents grooved tyres with improved road traction
1900 - Tyre companies experiment with adding leather, wood, and steel to prove
durability
1910 - Silver town Rubber Company (London) adds carbon black to white rubber,
creasing durability: now universal
1919 - Goodyear and Dunlop announce pneumatic truck tyres
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1923 - First balloon tyre, named for larger cross section and lower pressure, introduced
by Firestone: debut on the first Chrysler, the 70
1929 - Solid automobile tyres cease to be used
1937 - BFGoodrich introduces the first commercial synthetic rubber tyre
1938 - Goodyear introduces the rayon cord tyre
1946 - Michelin introduces the radial tyre
1947 - Goodyear introduces first nylon belted tyres
1947 - BFGoodrich announces the tubeless tyre 1963 - Use of polyester cord introduced
by Goodyear
1965 - Armstrong Rubber introduces the bias belted fiberglass tyre
1965 - BFGoodrich offers the first radial available in North America
1967 - Poly/glass tyres introduced by Firestone and Goodyear
1968 - United States Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers required on new tyres
in U.S.
1974 - Pirelli introduces the wide (low aspect ratio) radial tyre
2000 - Firestone recalls tyres after Congressional hearings into rollover accidents of Ford
Explorers in Firestone and Ford tyre controversy.

















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1.3 TYPES OF TYRES
Bias
Bias tyre (or cross ply) construction utilizes body ply cords that extend diagonally
from bead to bead, usually at angles in the range of 30 to 40 degrees, with successive
plies laid at opposing angles forming a crisscross pattern to which the tread is applied.
The design allows the entire tyre body to flex easily, providing the main advantage of this
construction, a smooth ride on rough surfaces. This cushioning characteristic also causes
the major disadvantages of a bias tyre: increased rolling resistance and less control and
traction at higher speeds.

Belted bias
A belted bias tyre stares with two or more bias-plies to which stabilizer belts are
bonded directly beneath the tread. This construction provides smoother ride that is similar
to the bias tyre, while lessening rolling resistance because the belts increase read
stiffness. The plies and belts are at different angles, which improve performance
compared to non-belted bias tyres.

Radial
Radial tyre construction utilizes body ply cords extending from the beads and
across the tread so that the cords are laid at approximately right angles to the centerline of
the tread, and parallel to each other, as well as stabilizer belts directly beneath the tread.
The belts may be cord or steel. The advantages of this construction include longer tread
life, better steering control, and lower rolling resistance. Disadvantages of the radial tyre
include a harder ride at low speeds on rough roads and in the context of off-roading,
decreased "self-cleaning" ability and lower grip ability at low speeds.

Solid
Many tyres used in industrial and commercial applications are non-pneumatic,
and are manufactured from solid rubber and plastic compounds via molding operations.
Solid tyres include those used for lawn mowers, skateboards, golf carts, scooters, and
many types of light industrial vehicles, carts, and trailers. One of the most common
applications for solid tyres is for material handling equipment (forklifts). Such tyres are
installed by means of a hydraulic tyre press.

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Semi-pneumatic
Semi-pneumatic tyres have a hollow center, but they are not pressurized. They are
light-weight, low-cost, puncture proof, and provide cushioning. These tyres often come
as a complete assembly with the wheel and even integral ball bearings. They are used on
lawn mowers, wheelchairs, and wheelbarrows. They can also be rugged, typically used in
industrial applications and are designed to not pull off their rim under use.
Tyres that are hollow but are not pressurized have also been designed for
automotive use, such as the Tweel (a portmanteau of tyre and wheel), which is an
experimental tyre design being developed at Michelin. The outer casing is rubber is in
ordinary radial tyres, but the interior has special compressible polyurethane springs to
contribute to a comfortable ride. Besides the impossibility of going flat, the tyres are
intended to combine the comfort offered by higher-profile tyres (with tall sidewalls) with
the resistance to cornering forces offered by low profile tyres. They have not yet been
delivered for broad market use.

1.4 THE INDIAN TYRE INDUSTRY - AN OVERVIEW
Market profile
While the tyre industry is mainly dominated by the organized sector, the
unrecognized sector holds sway in bicycle tyres. The major players in the organized e
segment consist of MRF, Apollo Tyres, CEAT and JK Industries, which account 63 per
cent of the organized tyre market. The other key players include Modi Rubber, Kesoram
Industries and Goodyear India, with 11 per cent, 7 percent and 6 percent share
respectively. Dunlop, Falcon, Tyre Corporation of India Limited (TCIL), TVS-Srichakra,
Metro Tyres and Balkrishna Tyres are some of the other players in the industry. MRF, the
largest tyre manufacturer in the country, has strong brand equity. While it rules supreme
in the industry, other players have created niche markets of their own.

Sector specifics
The tyre industry is a major consumer of the domestic rubber production, Natural
rubber constitutes 80 per cent of the material content in Indian tyres, Synthetic rubber
constitutes only 20 per cent of the rubber content of a tyre in India. Worldwide, the ratio
of natural rubber to synthetic rubber is 30:70. Apart from natural and synthetic rubber,
rubber chemicals are also widely used in tyres.
8

Most of the RSS-4 grade natural rubber required by the Indian tyre industry is
domestically sourced, with only a marginal amount being imported. This is an advantage
for the industry, since natural rubber constitutes 25 per cent of the total material cost of
the tyres. The two types of synthetic rubber used in tyres are Poly Butadiene Rubber
(PBR) Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR). The former is used in most of the tyres, e the
latter is mainly used in the radials for passenger cars. Synthetic rubber accounts for 14
per cent of the raw material cost. Unlike in the case of natural rubber, India imports 60
per cent of its synthetic rubber requirements.

Apart from rubber, major raw materials are nylon tyre cord and carbon black. The
former is used to make the tyres strong and impart tenacity to it. The latter is responsible
for the colour of the tyre and also enhances the life span of the Nylon tyre cord comprises
34 per cent, while carbon black accounts for another 13 per cent of the raw material cost.
In India, the carbon black used is of N660, N220 and N330 variety.

To sum up, the tyre industry is highly raw-material intensive, with raw material
costs accounting for 75 per cent of the cost of production. Fortunately for industry, the
rubber and carbon black prices have taken a beating recently, eh means lower costs for
the tyre industry. The export-import policy allows import of all types of new tyres and
tubes. However, import of retreaded tyres, either for use or for reclamation of rubber is
restricted. This has led to used tyres being smuggled into the country under the label of
new tyres. Though tyre import all raw materials for tyres except natural rubber are under
Open General License (OGL), only import of natural rubber from Sri Lanka is eligible
under OGL.

Sector Trends
Cross ply tyres have been used in India for several decades. In these tyres, the ply
cords run across each other or diagonally to the outer surface of the tyre, on and nylon
tyre cords are used as the reinforcing medium. These tyres can be added twice during
their lifetime and are hence preferred by Indian transport operators who normally
overload their trucks. A vehicle with the normal carrying city of around intones is usually
loaded with double the capacity. Moreover, also has to contend with the bad suspensions
and bad road conditions. No wonder, 90 per cent of the tyres used in India are crossplies.
9

Radial tyres have their cords running radially from bead at 80 degrees angle the
rim or along the outer surface of the tyre. The reinforcing mediums used in tyres are
polyester, nylon, fiber glass and steel. Hence, these tyres are 35 percent more expensive
than the crossplies. But they have a longer life and provide lower fuel consumption. The
unhealthy condition of the Indian roads has resulted radial tyres accounting for only 5
percent of the tyre industry as against a global trend of 60 percent. With two-thirds of the
capacity of all major tyre manufacturers being reserved for radials, this is a real cause for
concern.

Outlook
Globally, the OEM segment constitutes only 45 percent of the tyre market,
exports 15 percent and the balance from the replacement market. In India, the scenario is
quite different. Nearly 75 per cent of the total tyre demand in the try is for replacement.
This anomaly has placed the retreaters in a better position than the tyre manufacturers.
Retreading is looming over the tyre industry as a colossal threat. The Coimbatore based
Elgi Tyres and Tread Ltd., the largest retreater in India, is giving the tyre barons sleepless
nights.
Simply put, rethreading is replacing the worn-out tread of the old tyre with a new
one. The popularity of rethreading stems from the fact that it costs only 20 percent of a
new tyre but increases its life by 70 percent to 80 percent. Most of the retreaters in India
retread their tyres twice during its lifetime, while a few fleet owners even retread thrice.
In their zealousness to economize costs, they overlook the reality that retreading reduces
the quality of the tyre. It is highly popular in the unlike in the North where the
transporters overload their trucks and have to ply their vehicles in a rough terrain an
environment in which buying a new tyre is best option. Though retreading has penetrated
25 per cent of the tyre market, it has not made much of a dent in the rapidly growing two-
wheeler and passenger car segments.

Conclusion
The industry, already bogged by over capacity, is facing a severe threat of
dumping of cheap tyres by South Korea. Under the Bangkok agreement, signed between
India and South Korea in 1976, import of tyres from the latter into India would attract a
concessional duty of 33 per cent as against the normal tariff of 40 percent.
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Two years ago, the industry estimated the growth in the passenger car radial
demand at 20 percent per annum. However, the auto recession has hit them badly. But
South Korea made a killing by dumping cheap car radial tyres and walked pray with 11
per cent of the tyre market.
Another threat to the industry is the price of its raw materials, most of which are
petroleum by-products. Carbon, synthetic rubber and nylon tyre cord are offshoots of
petrochemicals. Thus, the future of the industry will swing with the supply of Crude oil.
The biggest threat, however, is yet to fully materialize. It will be from global major like
Bridgestone and Michelin, which control 36 percent of the global tyre market. These
players have set up their bases in Southeast Asia and the slump of the markets in this
region, coupled with the vast growth potential of the Indian is beckoning them towards
India. Bridgestone has tied up with ACC for a percent radial tyre unit and Michelin is
also marketing its products through retail outlets. The industry is driven more by volumes
than by margins and each of the big five in the global tyre industry Continental, Michelin,
Goodyear, Pirelli and Bridgestone generate an annual tyre production equivalent to the
total demand of the Indian market. These MNCs have deep pockets and can easily
withstand losses for 2-3 years. Their financial muscles also permit them to invest in
R&D, which is beyond the reach of the average Indian tyre manufacturer.

1.5 ABOUT THE RESEARCH STUDY
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
The comparative method has taken many forms since Augustus Comte first
employed the concept in 1853 in his foundational Cours de philosophic positive.
Subsequently a variety of comparative methods have emerged in the social sciences with
different goals, units of comparison, and types of data that reflect a variety of theoretical
assumptions and interests. Comparison has formed the core of anthropology, sociology
and other social sciences, to the extent that Emile Durkheim (1938) viewed all
sociological analysis as necessarily comparative. Comparative methods have been
employed for both quantitative and qualitative c:es of such diverse phenomena as
language, political organization, economic sons, religion, myth, kinship, marriage, and
the family.
Three strategies are used in comparative methodologies:
Illustrative comparison, Complete or universe comparison, and Sampled-based
comparisons (Sarana 1975). They are distinguished by the units of comparison (including
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cultures, societies, regions, or communities) and the "particular items or features used to
compare the units. Societies as units can be compared by examining items or traits such
as institutions or practices. Illustrative comparison is the most common form of
comparative analysis and has been employed extensively by theorists from diverse
camps. Items are used as examples to explain or exemplify phenomena found in different
units. They are chosen for their illustrative value and not systematically selected to be
statistically representative. Illustrative comparisons are used in historical reconstructions,
and support interpretations or general assertions. Ethnographic case studies are only
justified as the source for illustrative comparisons.

The second strategy is complete or universe comparison, in which all elements of
the domain within the study, defined geographically (e.g., global or regional) or topically
(e.g., analytical concepts or institutions), form the units of comparison. Comprehensive
regional ethnographic surveys and analyses of particular topics, such as the national
population health indicators of the World Health Organization reports, employ this
approach.
Finally, sampled comparison strategically delimits part of the whole, with the goal
of selecting data that are statistically representative of the variations within the whole and
are intended as the basis for statistical generalizations. While studies of this type abound
in sociology and human geography, they are much less in common anthropology. Within
anthropology, the most widely known example is the George Murdock's Human
Relations Area Files.

1.6 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
GENERAL STRATEGIES OF COMPARATIVE METHODS
Comparative methods have been used for three types of goals: the instruction of
inferential histories, the development of typologies, and the explication of generalized
processes (Peel 1987). Theories based on inferential histories dominated the formation of
the social sciences until the early twentieth century, while the development of typologies
and analyses of processes are now the predominate comparative strategies.

Natural histories of society. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries scholars compared institutions and practices from many societies to construct
evolutionary accounts of the origin of civilization, culture, and society. Contemporary
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primitive societies gave these theorists evidence of earlier social forms. Following the
natural sciences' histories of geological formations and biological evolution, widely
influential theorists, including Comte, Friedrich 1Engles (1846), Lewis Henry Morgan
(1870, 1877), Karl Marx, Herbert (1898), Max Mueller (1909), James Frazer (1907), and
Edward Tylor (1889, 1903), each constructed an historical narrative that traced the
emergence of civilization from ancient, primitive societies into complex and
sophisticated civilizations of Europe. They proposed a variety of developmental stages,
with characteristic types of social organization, economic activity, and religious practices
that all societies necessarily passed though during their evolution. They proposed the
belief that the nuclear family was the precursor of more complex forms social relations
such as the clan, tribe, city, and nation-state.

Multi-linear evolutionist and diffusions theories. A second wave of historical
comparatives followed in the early twentieth century. Rather than constructing a single
history of human culture or civilization, these scholars attempted to explain the
emergence of particular cultures and the historical diffusion of cultural traits.
Commonalities and differences among cultures were explained as either dependent
inventions of social forms, artifacts, and beliefs, or taken to have diffused from a single
point of origin. The several different schools of diffusion preferred to believe that
invention was infrequent, so consequently they developed comparative methods to infer
relationships among cultural traits and infer their sources. British anthropologists Alfred
Haddon (1895) and W. H. R. Rivers (1914) came to the conclusion, based on their
research in Melanesia, that social change is the product of migration and culture contact.
Taken further, G. Elliott Smith 1928) and W. J. Perry (1923) contended that Egypt was
the root of Western European civilization and that culture diffused to ancient Europe as
the result of culture contact and migration. A similar approach was developed in
Germany and Austria under the tutelage of Fritz Graebner (1903) and Wilhelm Schmidt,
who postulated the existence of Kulturekreise, culture centers, presumably in Central
Asia, from which archetypical cultural items were spread.

The German diffusionists methodology and conclusions were inspired by
comparative method that linguists including William Jones (1799), Franz Bopp (1816),
and Jakob Grimm (1893) used to identify historically related romance and Germanic
language families. These linguists inferred the previous existence of a common mother-
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language, Proto-Indo-European, from the systemic variation in sound systems among
these languages and Sanskrit.

Criticisms of the historical comparative methods concern the units of analysis
used for comparison including similarity and diversity among the societies studied, the
comparability of the data used, and the kinds of generalizations that are possible given
the nature of the data. Furthermore the inferential histories paid little heed to the
contextual factors that molded the particular institutions that they examined.

The historical comparativists and the diffusionists comparative methods and
research suffered several weaknesses. They were unable to adequately respond to Francis
Galton's criticism in the discussion that followed Tylor's address to the Royal
Anthropological Institute (Tylor 1899) that, if data were gathered from neighboring
groups, it would be impossible to determine if similarities resulted from a common
history or arose independently from common functions. Questions were also raised about
the ability to establish social rules based on historically contingent phenomena. In
addition, the inferences they made were based on data that was often gathered
unsystematically. Most significantly these theories seemed increasingly less credible as
researchers had greater contact with people in the societies they attempted to explain.
Diffusionist theories lost currency after World War II with the rise of theories designed to
identify social laws rather than cultural origins. Though the diffusionists' theories were
largely discredited as inadequately supported by historical data, the explorer Thor
Heyerdahl (1952) kept them alive with his attempts to demonstrate the possibility of
ancient transoceanic migrations.

1.7 COMPARISON AND SOCIAL LAWS
Three different approaches to comparative studies super ceded the inferential
histories of the evolutionists and diffusionists and established the parameters for
anthropological and sociological comparison for twentieth century. The German-
American anthropologist Franz Boas (1896) decried the "conjectural history" of the
diffusionists' comparative method, in favor of comprehensive ethnographic descriptions
that might reveal the "uniform laws that govern the human mind" (p. 271). Boas directed
the efforts of the American Bureau of Ethnology to document the many cultures and
languages of the native peoples of North America. His goal was to identify and classify
14

the external (environmental) and internal (psychological) factors that shape the
expression of these fundamental features of humans societies.

Durkheim's sociology echoed the analytical distinction between structure and
process in Comte's positivist method. His goal was to identify structural forms
morphological units and their subtypes. He created a descriptive-analytic typology with
analytical units that were examined synchronically for contextual variations. The goals of
his sociological analysis were to identify social crucial facts that are elemental in every
society and combined in different numbers and combinations into particular social
species. He contended that "societies are only different combinations of the same original
society". In his studies of religion and social organization, he drew upon examples from
Europe, North American native peoples, and Australia to identify elementary structures
and their elaborations. Durkheim's study of social morphology laid the foundation for
British structure-functionalism in anthropology and Continental structuralist sociology
and anthropology.

The failures of the conjectural histories of the diffusionists spurred a new and
different approach to comparative studies in anthropology based primarily on Durkheim's
social morphology and comparative sociology. British anthropologists A.R.Radcliffe-
Brown (1951), Fred Eggan (1954), and Edward Evans-Pritchard (1963) severely
criticized the historical comparatives and responded by developing more systematic,
controlled comparisons that focused on systems of ship, marriage and family.

Max Weber (1968) took a less positivist approach to social analysis and based his
comparative method on the formulation of ideal types. He began with the recognition that
the researcher plays an important role in framing research questions, identifying units of
analysis, and selecting items for comparison. Rather than assuming an objective
separation of the researcher and data, he constructed ideal types, or analytical models that
did not confuse the researcher's conceptualization of the phenomena with the phenomena
itself. These types enabled him to investigate the phenomena from an acknowledged
starting point and interrogate other aspects of the object during analysis. He employed
ideal types in his comparative studies of the relationship between economy and religion
in Protestant Northern and Catholic southern Europe, the differences between charismatic
15

and bureaucratic forms of leadership in Europe and China, and religious practices in
Europe, China, and India.

Clifford Geertz (1963, 1968) used ethnographic cases as real types for
comparisons of social organization, economic systems, and educational systems and
paved the way for comparisons in interpretative anthropology and cultural studies.
A third response to the inadequacies of the historical comparative methods was to
develop sample-based comparisons with ethnographic databases. George Murdock's
Human Relations Area Files and accompanying Ethnographic Atlas were the most
extensive attempt to identify cross-cultural correlations and make statistical
generalizations (Murdock, 1963, Murdock and Yale University Institute of Human
Relations). To this end, he cataloged existing ethnographic data from 10 percent of the
world's cultures identified by the late 1930s. Murdock's approach floundered due to the
difficulties of making correlations, identified by Galton, and its dependence upon existing
data, gathered by others who did not use arable research strategies or common definitions
of phenomena.

COMPARISONS OF PROCESSES
Comparative studies of social process have returned to some topics previously
examined by classical evolutionists and the diffusionists, but with much more constraint
and caution. Research on social and economic change, migration, and cultural contact has
attempted to return a historical dimension to structural analyses. Edmund Leach's (1954)
study of the dynamics of ethnic and political relations in highland Burma paved the way
for the more complex formulations in the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's (1977)
theory of social practice, and in Ulf Hannerz's (1992) analysis of creolization, or the
synthesis of new cultural forms, under the pressures of culture contact and globalization.








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1.8 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

To know about the usage pattern of radial tyres in multi axle vehicles
To know about the satisfaction level in fleet operators about radial tyres'
performance.
To compare the performance of the radial Tyres.



























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1.9 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1.9.1 RESEARCH DESIGN
This research is descriptive in nature.

1.9.2 METHOD OF SURVEY
Method of survey used in this research is sampling survey

1.9.3 TYPE OF SAMPLING
Probability sampling:
Population: 742 (A list given by Senkottai Taluk Lorry Owners Association Senkottai)

1.9.4 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
Systematic sampling with sampling interval Five

1.9.5 TARGET RESPONDENT
Sampling Unit: Fleet operators in Senkottai with using truck radial tyres.

1.9.6 NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS
Sampling Size: Totally 142 respondents are taken into consideration for this
Study.

1.9.7 TOOLS USED FOR DATA COLLECTION
Personal direct interview schedule used for data collection

1.9.8 SOURCES OF DATA
Primary data
Primary data was collected through questionnaire and interaction from the
respondents.

Secondary data
Secondary data was collected through Websites, News papers, Magazines,
Pamphlets and Books
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AREA OF RESEARCH
Senkottai town.

PERIOD OF RESEARCH
December 2013 to April 2014

TOOLS USED FOR ANALYSIS
Percentage Analysis and Weighted Average.

























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1.10 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
From this research study, one can find performance of radial tyres in multi axle
vehicles at various circumstances.
From this study it is easy to understand who #1 in radial tyre segment is.

1.11 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study is limited to Senkottai town alone, so cannot generalize about industry
as whole.
























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CHAPTER II

COMPAN PROFILE

VISION
To be amongst the most admired companies in India, committed to excellence.
MISSION
Be a Customer Obsessed Company - Customer First - 24x7
No. 1Tyre Brand in India
Most profitable Tyre Company in India
Motivated and Committed team for excellence in performance
Be a Green Company
Deliver Enhanced Value to all stakeholders
Enhance global presence through Acquisition / JV / Strategic Partnerships

CORE VALUES
Excellence comes not from mere words or procedures. It comes from an urge to
strive and deliver the best. A mindset that says, when it is good enough, improve it. It is a
way of thinking that comes only from a power within.

JK ORGANIZATION - A CENTURY OF TRUST
Innovation and passion to perform have always been the driving forces at JK
Organization. JK Organization, is one of the leading Private Sector Groups in India, was
founded over 100 years ago - it's been a century of multi-business, multi-product and
multi-location business operation.

JK TYRE - WHEELS TO THE NATION
JK Tyre has five Modern plants in India which are strategically located at
Mysore in Karnataka (3), Banmore in Madhya Pradesh and Kankroli in Rajasthan. JK
Tyre pioneered radial technology in India way back in 1977, and is the Radial Leader in
the country being the only tyre manufacturer offering the entire of 4 wheeler radials i.e.
for Trucks & Buses, LCVs, Cars and Farm. With strong adherence to quality and
customer service we are not only a leading brand in India but also a strong global player
21

with a presence in 77 countries across 6 continents offering a wide range of products
backed by world class technology. JK tyres enjoys a premium brand status in various
advanced markets, including the USA and Australia.

LEADING THE WAY
Ever since its inception, JK Tyre has been a leader rather than a follower, we have
garnered many Firsts to our credit like:
First Indian Tyre Company to introduce All Steel Truck & Bus Radials in India in
1999
Pioneered Radial technology in India by introducing passenger radials in 1977
First Indian Tyre Company to be recognized as 'SUPERBRAND' by Global
Advertising professionals
First in India to launch 'Eco-friendly - Green tyre'
First in India to launch 'Dual Contact' - Aquasonic tyre
First to launch Asymmetric' tyre
First in India to launch high performance tyre
H rated - Speed of above 190 kms upto 210 kms
V rated - Speed of above 210 kms upto 240 kms
Z rated - Speed of above 240 kms. Upto 300 kms.
World's first tyre manufacturer to get QS 9000 certification for all its multi-
location operations
World's first tyre manufacturer to get ISO 9001 certification for its entire
operations
.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Customer Satisfaction has always been our prime focus. We are indeed proud of
our highly experienced and professional team for winning the trust of customers and
building strong relationships with them. Our 115 company owned stocking points serve
over 4000 dealers across the country. We have set up 130 JK Steel Wheels - a unique
concept in car tyre retailing which provides value services like wheel balancing,
alignment and tyre care to customers. Truck Radial Care Centers offer after-sales service
for Truck/Bus Radials, which operate on 365 days / 24 hours basis. A large number of
such centers have been set up along all major National Highways. JK Tyre has been
22

among the top two tyre companies in respect of Customer Satisfaction, as per JK Power
Asia Pacific Study, for many years.

FURURE PLANS
India is fast emerging as a global automobile hub particularly for small cars,
offers immense opportunities for JK Tyre to grow its business both organically
inorganically. We have been constantly exploring ways of increasing our presence in
different Id markets, through alliances and acquisitions in tyre and related business. In all
our endeavors, our core focus is on customer delight. Enlarging the customer base,
providing them with better quality of services and more value added products, will
continue to be the key areas of our thrust.

JK GROUP OF COMPANIES

JK ORGANISATION
J.K. Organisation, founded over 100 years ago, is an eminent
industrial group in India. The Group has multi-business, multi-
product and multi-location operations

JK PAPER LTD.
JK Paper Limited is one of the leading manufacturers of reading
and writing paper

JK LAKSHMI CEMENT LTD.
JK Lakshmi Cement Limited is a well respected name in
thecement industry in India

FENNER (I) LTD.
Fenner (I) Limited is a leading manufacturer of Industrial and
Automotive Belts, Oil Seals, Power Transmission Accessories
and Textile Yarn


23

UMANG DAIRIES LTD.
The Creme de la creme of dairy foods



JK SUGAR LTD.
The company's principle activity is to manufacture Sugar.
However, the company currently operates in two segments.
Power and Sugar

JK RISK MANAGERS AND INSURANCE BROKERS LTD.
Services rendered to various clients for all facets of Insurance
both life & non-life.

CLINIRX RESEARCH PRIVATE LTD.
Full Service Contract Research Organisation (CRO)


















24


CHAPTER 3
ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

DEMOGRAPHTC PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS

Table 3.1
Age wise classification of the respondents

Age Number of Respondents Percentage%
21 30 26 26%
31 40 24 24%
41 50 28 28%
51 60 12 12%
Above 61 10 10%
TOTAL 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference
It is inferred that the 26% of the respondents are in the age group of 21-30, 24%
of the respondents are in the age group of 31-40, 28% of the respondents are in the age
group of 41-50, 12% of the respondents are in the age group of 51-60 and 10% of the
respondents are in the age group of above 61.
So the maximum 28% of the respondents are in the age group 41-50.








25


Figure 3.1

Age wise classification of the respondents
.













21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 Above 61
Percentage 26 24 28 12 12
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
Percentage
26


Table 3.2
Educational wise classification of the respondents


Education

Number of Respondents

Percentage%
S.S.L.C 61 61%
Higher Secondary 20 20%
Diploma 6 6%
Graduate 11 11%
Post Graduate 2 2%
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
It is inferred that 61% of the respondents are studied up to High school, 20% fof
the respondents are studied up to Hr.sec, 11% of the respondents are Graduate, 6% of the
respondents are Diploma holders and only 2% of the respondents are Post Graduate.

So the maximum 61% of the respondent are in the S.S.L.C.












27


Figure 3.2
Educational wise classification of the respondents



















0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
High School Higher
Secondary
Diplomo Graduate Post
Graduate
Respondents 61 20 6 11 2
Percentage 61 20 6 11 2
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
Chart Title
28


Table 3.3
Industry Experience of the Respondents


Experience

Number of Respondents

Percentage%
1 5 Years 11 11%
5 10 Years 18 18%
11 15 Years 19 19%
16 20 Years 13 13%
Above 20 39 39%
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
It is inferred that 39% of the respondents told that they had the industry
experience of 21 years and above, 19% of the respondents told that they had the industry
experience of 11-15 years, 18% of the respondents told that they had the industry
experience of 6-10 years, 13% of the respondents told that they had the industry
experience of 16-20 years and only 11% of the respondents told that they had industry
experience of 1-5 years.
So the maximum 39% of the respondents are in the industry experience of above
20years.







29


Figure 3.3
Industry Experience wise classification of the respondents



















0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 Above 20
Respondents 11 18 19 13 39
Percentage 11 18 19 13 39
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
Chart Title
30


Table 3.4
Marital status of the respondents


Marital Status

Number of Respondents

Percentage%
Married
91

91
Unmarried
9

9
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
It is inferred that 91% of the respondents are married and only 9% of the
respondents are unmarried.
So the maximum 91% of the respondents are in the married.














31


Figure 3.4
Marital status of the respondents













Married Unmarried
Respondents 91 9
Percentage 91 9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
Chart Title
32


Table 3.5
Number vehicles owned by the respondents.


Number of vehicles

Number of respondents

Percentage (%)
1-5 18 18%
6-10 23 23%
11-15 22 22%
16-20 17 17%
20 above 20 20%
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
From the table shows that 23% of the respondents are have 6-10 Multi Axile
vehicles.
So the maximum 23% of the respondents are in 6-10 multi axile vehicles.













33

Figure 3.5
Number vehicles owned by the respondents.

















18%
23%
22%
17%
20%
percentage
1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 20 above
34


Table 3.6
Types Of Tyre Used By Respondents


Type of Tyre

Number of respondents

Percentage%

Radial Only

33

33

Radial and Nylon

67

67

Total

100

100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
From the table shows that 67% of the respondents are using both radial and nylon
tyres.
So the maximum 67% of the respondent are in the radial and nylon.














35

Figure 3.6
Types Of Tyre Used By Respondents


















Radial only Radial and nylon
percentage 33 67
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
percentage
36

Table 3.7
Tyre Purchase Decision



Particular

Number of respondents

Percentage%
Driver 4 4%
Dealer 10 10%
Friends & relatives 12 12%
Own self 74 74%
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
From the table it shows that 74% of the respondents are taking tyre purchase
decision their own self.
So the maximum 74% of the respondents are in own self.














37

Figure 3.7
Tyre Purchase Decision




















Driver Dealer Friends own self
percentage 4 10 12 74
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
percentage
38

Table 3.8
Experience with Radial tyre by respondents


Years

Number of respondents

Percentage%
1-3 46 46%
4-6 33 33%
7-9 11 11%
10-12 8 8%
12 above 3 3%
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)
Inference:
From the table it shows that1-3 of the respondents are have the experience with
radial tyres in upto 4 years.
So the maximum 46% of the respondents are in 1-3years.
















39

Figure 3.8
Experience with Radial tyre by respondents


















Sales
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
40


Table 3.9
Radial Tyre Purchase Place


Place of purchase

Number of respondents

Percentage%

Company

3

3

Dealer

72

72

Distributor

25

25
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)
Inference:
From the table it shows that 72% of the respondents are purchasing radial tyre
from dealer, 25% of the respondents are purchasing radial tyre from distributor, only 3%
of the respondents are purchasing radial tyre from through company.
So the maximum 72% of the respondent of Dealer.











41


Figure 3.9
Radial Tyre Purchase Place



















0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
company Dealer Distributor
percentage 4.3 72 25
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
percentage
42

Table 3.10
First Radial Tyre Used By Respondents


Tyre Brands


Number of respondents

Percentage%
JK 42 42
MRF 8 8
Apollo 12 12
Ceat 7 7
Birla 5 5
Michelin 14 14
Bridgestone 12 12
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)
Inference:
From the table it shows that 42% of the respondents are used JK as a first radial
tyre; followed by Michelin 14% are used as a first one.
So the maximum 42% of the respondents are in JK First radial tyres.












43

Figure 3.10
First Radial Tyre Used By Respondents

















JK MRF Apollo Ceat Birla Michelim
Bridgesto
ne12
percentage 42 8 12 4 5 14 12
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
percentage
44

Table 3.11
New Brands recently purchased by the respondents



Particulars

Number of respondents

Percentage%
JK 13 13
MRF 7 7
Apollo 32 32
Ceat 8 8
Birla 14 14
Michelin 20 20
Bridgestone 6 6
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the table it shows that 32% of the respondents are now purchased APOLLO
radial tyres and 20% of the respondents are now purchased MICHELIN radial tyres, 14%
of the respondents are now purchased BIRLA radial tyres, 6% of the respondents are now
purchased BRIDGESTONE radial tyres, and 13% of the respondents are now purchased
JK radial tyres, only 7% of the respondents are now purchased MRF radial tyres.
So the maximum 32% of the respondents are in Apollo.










45

Figure 3.11
New Brands recently purchased by the respondents

















0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
JK MRF Apollo Ceat Birla Michelin Bridgest
one
percentage 13 7 32 8 14 20 6
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
percentage
46

Table 3.12
Awareness of performance of all radial tyres


Particulars

Number of respondents

Percentage%

Yes

93

93

No

7

7

Total

100

100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
From the table it reveals that 93% of the respondents are aware of the
performance of the all company radial tyres.
So the maximum 93% of the respondents are in yes.















47

Figure 3.12
Awareness Of Performance Of All Radial Tyres




















0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
yes No
percentage 93 7
A
x
i
s

T
i
t
l
e
percentage
48

Table 3.13
Number Of Respondents Using Respective Brands Of Radial Tyres



Particulars

Number of respondents

Percentage%
JK 65 65
MRF 15 15
Apollo 25 25
Ceat 12 12
Birla 15 15
Michelin 20 20
Bridgestone 25 25
Total 100 100%

Source: (primary data)

Inference
JK and Michelin are mostly usage tyres in radial tyre market.
So the maximum 65% of the respondents are in JK Tyres.













49


Table 3.14
Satisfaction level about JK radial tyres (119)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 21 25 57 16 0 408 3.5
Retreads 5 18 57 39 0 346 2.9
Tyre mileage 17 54 37 13 0 438 3.68
Cost per kilometer 10 39 50 20 0 396 3.32
Diesel mileage 21 51 34 13 0 437 3.67

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of performance
factors of JK tyres are as follows
1. Tyre mileage is satisfied.
2. Diesel mileage is satisfied.
3. Durability is satisfied.
4. Cost per kilometer is Neutral.
5. Retreads are Neutral.











50

Table 3.15
Satisfaction level about Apollo radial tyres (62)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 17 23 18 4 0 239 3.85
Retreads 6 28 22 6 0 220 3.54
Tyre mileage 9 26 16 11 0 219 3.53
Cost per kilometer 12 23 21 6 0 227 3.66
Diesel mileage 14 34 14 0 0 248 4

Source: (primary data)

Inference:
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of performance
factors of APOLLO tyres are as follows
1. Diesel mileage is satisfied.
2. Durability is satisfied.
3. Cost per kilometer is satisfied.
4. Retreads is satisfied.
5. Tyre mileage is satisfied.











51


Table 3.16
Satisfaction level about MICHELIN radial tyres (121)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 121 0 0 0 0 605 5
Retreads 95 26 0 0 0 579 4.78
Tyre mileage 110 11 0 0 0 594 4.90
Cost per kilometer 115 6 0 0 0 599 4.95
Diesel mileage 98 23 0 0 0 582 4.80

Source: (primary data)

Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of Performance
factors of MICHELIN tyres are as follows
1. Durability is Highly Satisfied
2. Cost per kilometer is Highly Satisfied
3. Tyre mileage is Highly Satisfied
4. Diesel mileage is Highly Satisfied
5. Retreads is Highly Satisfied










52


Table 3.17
Satisfaction level about BRIDGESTONE radial tyres (69)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 23 28 18 0 0 281 4.07
Retreads 28 35 6 0 0 298 4.31
Tyre mileage 34 30 5 0 0 305 4.42
Cost per kilometer 29 24 16 0 0 289 4.18
Diesel mileage 48 21 0 0 0 324 4.69

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of performance
factors of BRIDGESTONE tyres are as follows
1. Diesel mileage is Highly Satisfied.
2. Tyre mileage is satisfied.
3. Retreads is Satisfied.
4. Cost per kilometer is satisfied.
5. Durability is satisfied.











53



Table 3.18
Satisfaction level about BIRLA radial tyres (32)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 0 5 20 5 2 92 2.88
Retreads 0 2 15 10 5 78 2.47
Tyre mileage 0 2 13 12 5 76 2.37
Cost per kilometer 0 3 16 10 3 83 2.60
Diesel mileage 0 14 15 3 0 107 3.34

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of performance
factors of BIRLA tyres are as follows
1. Diesel mileage is Neutral.
2. Durability is Neutral.
5. Cost per kilometer is Neutral
4. Retreads is Dissatisfied.
5. Tyre mileage is dissatisfied










54


Table 3.19
Satisfaction level about CEAT radial tyres (25)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 0 6 15 5 0 79 3.16
Retreads 0 3 14 8 0 70 2.80
Tyre mileage 0 3 16 6 0 82 2.88
Cost per kilometer 0 2 11 12 0 65 2.60
Diesel mileage 0 9 13 3 0 81 3.24

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of performance
factors of CEAT tyres are as follows
1. Diesel mileage is Neutral.
2. Durability is Neutral.
3. Tyre mileage .is Neutral.
4. Retreads is Neutral
5. Cost per kilometer is Neutral.











55


Table 3.20
Satisfaction level about MRF radial tyres (32)

Performance
criteria

H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Durability 0 0 17 10 5 74 2.37
Retreads 0 0 14 10 8 70 2.20
Tyre mileage 0 0 18 11 3 79 2.50
Cost per kilometer 0 0 13 12 7 70 2.10
Diesel mileage 0 0 22 2 0 102 3.20

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of performance
factors of MRF tyres are as follows
1. Diesel mileage is Neutral.
2. Tyre mileage is Neutral.
3. Durability is dissatisfied.
4. Retreads is Dissatisfied.
5. Cost per kilometer is dissatisfied.











56

Table 3.21
Satisfaction level about non performance factors of JK Tyre (119)

Particulars H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Price 14 46 47 12 0 419 3.52
Availability 19 60 30 10 0 445 3.73
Company Offer 12 25 60 15 7 337 3.16
Service 5 41 57 12 4 388 3.26

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents' satisfaction level of non
performance factors of JK tyres are as follows
1. Availability is satisfied.
2. Price is Satisfied.
3. Service is Neutral.
4. Company offer is Neutral.














57

Table 3.22
Satisfaction level about non performance factors of APOLLO Tyre

Particulars H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Price 7 26 25 4 0 222 3.60
Availability 20 30 12 0 0 256 4.12
Company Offer 0 12 40 10 0 188 3.02
Service 2 10 35 14 1 184 2.96

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of non
performance factors of APOLLO tyres are as follows
1. Availability is satisfied
2. Price is Satisfied.
3. Company offer is Neutral
4. Service is Neutral














58

Table 3.23
Satisfaction level about non performance factors of MICHELIN Tyre (121)


Particulars H.S
(5)

S
(4)

N
(3)

D.S
(2)

H.D.S.
(l)

WX WX/W
Price 15 57 49 0 0 450 3.71
Availability 18 40 50 13 0 415 3.42
Company Offer 0 2 30 70 21 251 2.07
Service 0 20 67 24 0 329 2.72

Source: (primary data)
Inference
From the above table shows that respondents satisfaction level of non
performance factors of MICHELIN tyres are as follows
1. Price is Satisfied.
2. Availability is Neutral.
3. Service is Neutral.
4. Company offer is dissatisfied.













59

CHAPTER 4
FINDINGS
TYRE USAGE PATTERN
2 61% of the respondents are studied up to High school and 20% of the respondents
are studied up to Hr.sec.
3 72% of the respondents have 11-20 vehicles.
4 77% of the respondents are using both radial and nylon tyres.
5 100% of the respondents take tyre purchase decision their own self.
6 3/5th of the respondents are have the experience with radial tyres up to 4 years.
7 72% of the respondents are purchasing radial tyre from dealer.
8 44% of the respondents are used JK as a first radial tyre; followed by MICHELIN
35% are used as a first one.
9 30% of the respondents are now purchased APOLLO radial tyres and 25% of the
respondents are now purchased MICHELIN radial tyres.
10 66% of the respondents are aware of the performance of the all company radial
tyres.

Satisfaction Levels on Performance Factors
Respondents satisfaction levels of performance factors of JK tyres are that they
are satisfied with tyre and diesel mileage, durability and neutral about cost per kilometer,
and number of retreads.
Respondents satisfaction levels of performance factors of APOLLO tyres are that
they are satisfied with all the performance factors.
Respondents satisfaction levels of performance factors of MICHELIN tyres are that they
are highly satisfied with all the performance factors.
Respondents satisfaction levels of performance factors of BRIDGESTONE tyres
are that they are satisfied with all the performance factors except diesel mileage. In diesel
mileage they are highly satisfied.




60

Satisfaction Levels on Non Performance Factors
Respondents satisfaction levels of non performance factors JK of tyres are that
they are satisfied with availability and price, and neutral with company offer and service.
Respondents satisfaction levels of non performance factors of APOLLO tyres are that
they are satisfied with availability and price, and neutral with company offer and service.
Respondents satisfaction level of non performance factors of MICHELIN tyres are, that
they are satisfied with price and neutral with availability and service, and dissatisfied
with company offer.

Ranking of Performance characteristics

Brand Durability Tyre
mileage
Retread Cost per
kilometer
Diesel
mileage
JK 2 4 3 6 3
APOLLO 4 3 5 5 4
MICHELIN 1 1 6 4 1
BRIDGESTONE 3 2 7 2 2

Chi square test
There is no significant relationship between number of vehicles and first time
purchased radial tyres for JK and MICHELI
There is no significant relationship between radial tyre experience and recently
purchased radial tyres for APOLLO and MICHELIN

ANOVA
There is difference between average performance satisfaction and type of radial
tyre companies.
There is no difference between average satisfactions of performance factors
within the same brand.
There is difference between average usage of radial tyres and industry experience.
There is difference between average "usage of radial tyres and type of companies.
61


SUGGESTIONS

35% of the respondents are using JK and other any one brand of radial tyre, so JK
tyre may focus these customers, to retain them.
To acquire the new customer base, JK tyre may focus on clear cut advertisement
of product specification and features, such as explaining them about usage
methods. (Because, 80 % of the respondents are studied only high school level.)
APOLLO and BRIDGESTONE becomes close competitor for JK tyre.
MICHELIN surpasses these brands and becomes Number 1 in performance. So
JK tyre may adopt product strategy (because in performance characteristics JK
secures least score compared to APOLLO and BRIDGESTONE)
The researcher suggests that JK tyre may focus on R&D regarding tyre, to
increase tyre mileage after retread. (Durability of the JK tyre is high but after
retread durability dramatically reduced.)


















62


CONCLUSION

From this study the researcher studied about the Tyre types and their usages,
perception of radial tyres by fleet operators. Also this study reveals present market
situation of radial tyre segment, and position of JK tyre in radial tyre segment.

However this study points out some important information to management of JK
tyre and Industries Limited. If JK tyre continues their present product strategies they will
lose their market share in radial tyre segment of multi axle vehicles, although they are
pioneer in that segment.






















63


BIBILIOGRAPHY

BOOKS
S.P.GUPTA, "Statistical Methods", Sultan Chand and Sons Publishers (2008),
New Delhi
DEBASHIS PATI, "Marketing Research", University Press Publications (1999)


WEBSITES
www.atma.com






















64

ANNEXURE

A STUDY ON COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF
RADIAL TYRES IN MULTI AXLE VEHICLES AMONG FLEET
OPERATORS AT SHENGOTTAI

1. How many multi axle vehicles you have?
a) 1-5 b) 6-10
c) 11-15 d) 16-20
e) 20<

2. Which type of Multi axle Vehicle you have? (Tick Appropriate)
Truck 6/2 8/2 10/2 12/2
Tipper
Trailer
Tanker
Container
All of Them

3. How long you are in the lorry transport industry?
a) l-5years b) 6-10yeras
c) ll-15years d) 16-20 years
e) 21 and above

4. Which type of Tyre you have uses?
Nylon
Radial
Both

5. Who decide Tyre Purchase decision for your vehicles?
a) Driver b) Dealer
c) Friends and Relative d) Yourself

6. How long you year you has been used radial Tyre for your vehicles?
a) 1-3 b) 4-6
c) 7-9 d) 10-12
e) 13-15
65


7. Where you purchase the Radial Tyre for your vehicle?
a) Company b) Dealer
c) Distributor

8. Which company you have fleet account?
a) JK b) MRF
c) APOLLO d) CEAT
e) BIRLA f) MICHELIN
g) BRIDGE STONE

9. Which company radial Tyre you had used first?
a) JK b) MRF
c) APOLLO d) CEAT
e) BIRLA f) MICHELIN
g) BRIDGE STONE

10. Who will make purchase Decision for Your vehicle's Trailer's Tyre?
a) Yourself b) Trailer Builder

11. What are all the factors you will consider before purchase a tyre?
Price
Availability
Performance
Company Name
Product Specs
Dealer Relationship
Company offer

12. What are all the Radial Tyres you have been used Up to now?
JK
M.R.F
APOLLO
CEAT
BIRLA
MICHELIN
BRIDGE STONE
66

13. Please mention the appropriate numbers
Highly Satisfied Satisfied Medium Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied
5 4 3 2 1
JK MRF APOLLO CEAT BIRLA MICHE BRIDGS
Durability
Retreads
Tyre Mileage
Cost per Kilometer
Diesel Mileage


14. Please mention the appropriate numbers
Highly Satisfied Satisfied Medium Dissatisfied Highly Dissatisfied
5 4 3 2 1
JK MRF APOLLO CEAT BIRLA MICHE BRIDGS
Price
Availability
Company offer
Cost per Kilometer
Diesel Mileage
Service

15. Which company Radial Tyre Now you using for your vehicle?
a) JK b) MRF
c) APOLLO d) CEAT
e) BIRLA f) MICHELIN
g) BRIDGESTONE

16. Why you chosen the present Radial Tyre?
Price
Availability
Performance
Company Name
Product Specs
Dealer Relationship
Company offer

67


17. Are you aware of performance of all Radial Tyres?
a) Yes b) No
18. In which Axle you will normally use Radial Tyre?
a) Drive axle b) Dummy Axle
c) Front Axle d) Front Support
Axle
Drive
Axle
Dummy
Axle
Front
Axle
Front
Support
Axle
JK
M.R.F
APOLLO
CEAT
BIRLA
MICHELIN
BRIDGESTONE

Performance
19. Please Rank the appropriate boxes of performance of following Tyres (1-7)
JK MRF APOLLO CEAT BIRLA MICHE BRIDGS
Durability
Retreads
Mileage
Smoothness
Cost per Kilometer
Diesel Mileage

20. Please Rank the appropriate boxes (1-7)
JK MRF APOLLO CEAT BIRLA MICHE BRIDGS
Price
Availability
Company Offer
Service


68



Demographic
21. Name : _________________________________________

22. Address : _________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

23. Age
a) 21-30 b) 31-40
c) 41-50 d) 51-60
e) 61 and above

24. Gender
a) Male b) Female

25. Education
a) High School b)Higher Secondary
c) Diploma d) Graduate
e) Post Graduate

26. Income
a) 50000-100000 b) 100001-150000
c) 150001-200000 d) above 200000

27. Marital Status
a) Married b) Unmarried