Birla Tyres To Kick Off Accident Insurance Scheme  ( June '6,2003, FE)

A nimboo mirchi or horse shoe hanging on the vehicles for a safe journey is passe. Insurance, today, is the sole protection. Birla Tyres has kicked off a promotional scheme by offering Rs 2 lakh insurance cover free on purchase of every pair of Birla truck tyres. The scheme will be launched nationally from Hyderabad starting from June 14, 2003.

The move will help truck drivers who have to travel in all kinds of terrain with nothing to ensure their own safety and their families. This scheme offering free accident insurance of Rs 2 lakh on purchase of every pair of Birla truck tyres creates a policy in the name of a driver or whoever the fleet owner nominates, Birla Tyres vice-president (marketing) Ajay Uppal said at a press conference.

Through a joint effort with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co Ltd, the policy is valid for one year and covers all types of accidents. The maximum ceiling of insurance coverage is up to Rs 10 lakh per person for all purchases a person makes, he said.

The company has launched 18 kinds of tyres for different types of end-users with cost-effective prices. On an average, the company produces 80,000 tyres in a month and has plans to create a brand image for all its products.

The company is also examining global sourcing of tyres to increase exports which is about 30 per cent of total production.