Interview With A Tyre Leader_PK Mohamed_Apollo Tyres

| LEADER - INTERVIEW |
Tyre Technology is an Amalgamation
of Science and Engineering
Interview With P.K.Mohamed,
Chief Adviser - Research & Technology. Member of Management Board, Apollo Tyres
PRASANTH WARRIER (PW):
Hello Mohamed. First of all thank
you for accepting an interview with
Rubber Machinery World (RMW) and
sharing your thoughts. From a Junior
Lecturer at Calicut Farook College
(Kerala) to being recognized as ‘Best
Tyre Technologist’ and a Member of
Management Board of Apollo Tyres
is a remarkable journey. So let me
start with a personal question - What
would you say was key to your success
and how you reached the very top
spot? What are the take away for the
next generation of leaders in your
inspiring story?
P.K. MOHAMED (PKM):
It is a fact that I started my career as
a Junior Lecturer in the year 1965
immediately after passing out from college
with Chemistry major. But it was not long
before I realized that the challenges in the
position as a junior lecturer was
inadequate to meet my desires. And my
mind was prompting me to look for a job in
the industry to meet my aspirations and
challenges. So I tried for a job in rubber and
fertilizer industries and was fortunate to
receive positive responses from both. My
decision was to join rubber industry for the
more lucrative remuneration then offered
by the industry.
I joined as a Supervisor in the Quality
Department in Premier Tyres under J.D.
Kamath. Kamath was a good teacher and
guide. At that time the technical department
was headed by G.K.Pillai, a well known Tyre
Technologist trained in the USA under the
collaboration agreement with General Tyre.
The compounding department was headed
by Dr. A.S. Nair, a doctorate holder from IIT
Kharagpur and a well known person in the
field of rubber compounding and material
science. I was fortunate to be a protégé
of these eminent personalities. They
provided me with excellent training that
enabled me to perform better and better in
future. It is worth to mention that when I
joined the Rubber Industry, my knowledge
about Rubber technology and rubber
compounding was very limited. During my
academic time, I only learnt that there was
a molecule called ‘isoprene’ which was the
monomer of natural rubber.
Most of my learning in rubber technology
and compounding has happened during my
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Know A Leader - Rubber & Tyre Machinery World | JAN 2016