Larsen & Toubro to make tire presses for Kobe Steel

MUMBAI, India (May 8)—Indian engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro will manufacture hydraulic tire curing presses for Japanese engineering group Kobe Steel Ltd., under a new agreement between the companies. Mumbai-based L&T said it will make the Cure-S1 series presses at a facility operated by its Heavy Engineering business in Chennai, India. The Chennai plant already manufactures curing presses and tire building machines for tire makers worldwide, said L&T, which claims to be India's largest engineering, construction and cement conglomerate. Kobe Steel's Curex-S1 is a newly developed oil hydraulic press, which combines a simple structure for easy installation and trouble-free running with features such as booster cylinders for quick pressurizing times, L&T said. Tire companies worldwide should derive cost benefits from this tie-up, according to E.S. Kumar, L&T vice president of industrial machinery. "This is a good blend of high technology from Japan and low-cost manufacturing in India," he said in a prepared statement.