BKT, ready for the ‘Next Level’

By MEq April 18, 2019 12:10

Inaugurated on 5 April, BKT’s new European headquarters will remain in Seregno at the outskirts of Milan, but within a building that has been completely renovated. In fact, we can even say revolutionized. It is not just about design, BKT also wants to convey a powerful message to the market. The company’s goal is the coveted “Next Level”, the code name coined by BKT for its strategic project to conquer leadership. And this inauguration is merely a great and historic step in that direction.

“Creating our new headquarters is more than just an architectural project, for us it also has an underlying strategic meaning” explains Lucia Salmaso, CEO of BKT Europe. “We are constantly striving to increase our presence and market share in Europe and, above all, to get closer to our European OEM customers. Our goal is to permanently strengthen the presence of the BKT brand with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), and we know how to achieve it. We have already opened many doors with our Aftermarket references and continue forging ahead with new opportunities. Our new headquarters has a key role in this regard. We will now be much stronger than we ever have been in every area and every segment in Europe. Agriculture, industry, earthmoving, mining, port handling activities, gardening and ATV. Now that we have one of the most complete ranges on the market and an increased production capacity thanks to our most recent Bhuj plant, we are ready to grow.”

The European market has proven to be essential for the company, representing 50% of BKT’s turnover, which surpassed $900 million at a global level last year. The new offices span an extensive space of 500 m2, optimized for the different areas of expertise: technical interventions, logistics, original equipment management, marketing and corporate management. An extremely rational and organized setup for the 15 individuals in our BKT Europe team. The new, larger warehouse, which was built to consolidate the decentralized ones previously located at other sites, is now in the same structure to refine the logistics flow.

The new structure also houses BKT Space, a unique information and technology center for specialized tires that has already proven itself to be a major competitive difference-maker. There is nowhere else in Europe with a similar center, equipped with an auditorium and training facilities for up to 50 people, perfect for organizing conferences, technical meetings and small events. With this incorporation, BKT has built an authentic Task Force Center to address the present and, above all, the future.

We cannot overlook the fact that BKT’s strength comes from the team spirit pervading everything the company does, by actively and continuously involving all its partners, distributors, customers and retailers. BKT Space is dedicated to all of them, to be used freely and independently as a highly specialized Off-Highway tire center.

“We are at a watershed moment,” states Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director of BKT. “Here we can embrace market challenges and launch them all in turn. Our very first aim is to understand the priorities and needs of our customers. We will be able to do it best at this new space, a totally innovative and technological work environment that we will use to demonstrate that we are capable of measuring up and even more. We will prove that we are ready to reach the ‘Next Level’.”

This has been a swift evolution for BKT’s European subsidiary since it was founded in 2006 to oversee global strategic and operational marketing and communications functions for the entire BKT Group and manage OEM sales in Europe. Professionals have been enriching the structure progressively every year and have achieved salient results in terms of brand awareness, authoritativeness and positioning, and also presence in Original Equipment segment and market share in the After Market.
BKT Europe also has a field-ready technical team capable of responding proactively with specific training on and for the optimal use of products, and reactively in case of any need for support and troubleshooting. The new European headquarters is BKT’s next step towards the ‘Next Level’, a carefully planned strategy for enhancing the presence of its brand and Off-Highway tires in Europe to once again demonstrate the company’s unstoppable growth.