Sri Lankan tyre manufacturer only entered the agricultural sector in 2018, having spent its early years focusing on the industrial tyre sector. Now, however, the company, which uses state-of-the-art technology, is looking to grow rapidly and achieve a leading position in the sector within five years. At the recent LAMMA show in Birmingham, we spoke to the company’s Sales Director for Europe Kurt Verbrugge, who explained the scale of the company’s ambitions.
Expansion in the Mix for GRI
“We want to grow very quickly,” said Verbrugge. “We will double our capacity by the end of this year, and after that want to double it again. We are also looking to gain some brand positioning with the OEMS, and with that in mind we have now achieved our first contact with a leading tractor manufacturer.”
“We are also looking to improve the price positioning of our product,” he added. “Our aim is that our customers will see GRI as a premium product that stands for sustainability, quality and service.”
Verbrugge admits that with the number of agricultural wholesalers relatively limited, it is not easy to penetrate new markets in Europe, but in the UK the company has been fortunate to be able to work with RH Claydon for the last three years. “Claydon were very keen to start with a second brand,” explained Verbrugge. “They saw the quality of GRI and we now feel confident that we will be able to progress in this market. We have a short chain between the market and the factory, and this will only be further optimised by Claydon’s plans to increase their number of depots from 7 to 13. Our aim is to grow with the salespeople who represent us and we feel we will certainly be able to do that with RH Claydon.”
