Apollo Tyres MD Explains What India’s Next-Gen Engineers Must Learn Beyond the Classroom

India’s next generation of engineers will need much more than a degree and textbook knowledge to succeed in advanced manufacturing, according to Apollo Tyres Vice Chairman and Managing Director Neeraj Kanwar. With factories becoming increasingly digital, connected and data-driven, Kanwar says the engineering talent pipeline must combine solid technical fundamentals with real-world plant exposure, digital tools, industry collaboration, continuous learning and the ability to apply knowledge to live manufacturing problems.

Kanwar’s comments are particularly relevant around Engineers’ Day 2026 as universities and employers debate whether Indian engineering graduates are receiving enough practical and future-facing education.

Apollo Tyres has been developing industry-academia partnerships, student plant visits, internships, technical modules and research opportunities as part of its effort to create engineers who can contribute more quickly after entering the workforce.

What Does Apollo Tyres MD Say Future Engineers Need?

Skill Area	Why It Matters
Engineering fundamentals	Essential for understanding physical systems
Digital skills	Modern manufacturing depends on data and connected tools
Coding	Useful for automation, analytics and engineering applications
Hands-on exposure	Shows how real factories operate
Problem solving	Industry problems are rarely textbook-perfect
Continuous learning	Technology changes after graduation
Domain expertise	AI needs engineering context to create useful outcomes

Neeraj Kanwar Is Apollo Tyres Vice Chairman and MD

Apollo Tyres officially identifies Neeraj Kanwar as its Vice Chairman and Managing Director.

His perspective comes from an industry that now combines:

• Materials engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Automotive design
• Data science
• Automation
• AI
• Advanced manufacturing

Manufacturing Faces a Global Skills Gap

Kanwar has warned that manufacturers cannot simply rely on the external labour market to supply all the skills they need.

Advanced manufacturing is changing too quickly.

Engineers entering industry may encounter technologies involving:

• Artificial intelligence
• Machine vision
• Robotics
• Digital twins
• Predictive maintenance
• Connected sensors

Why Engineering Colleges Cannot Work Alone

Kanwar argues that building future-ready engineers requires industry and academia to work together.

Universities provide:

• Fundamentals
• Research
• Teaching
• Academic depth

Industry can add:

• Live problems
• Manufacturing exposure
• Modern equipment
• Commercial constraints

Apollo Tyres Has Built University Partnerships

The company has developed academic collaborations in India and internationally.

One prominent initiative is its partnership with KIIT to introduce a specialized tyre-technology elective.

The collaboration brings topics involving:

• Tyre science
• Design
• Manufacturing
• Materials

into formal engineering education.

Why Tyre Technology Needs Specialized Engineers

A tyre may appear simple from the outside.

In reality it combines engineering in:

• Polymers
• Chemistry
• Mechanical design
• Vehicle dynamics
• Manufacturing
• Testing

Modern Tyres Are Becoming Technology Products

Emerging tyre systems can involve:

• Sensors
• Noise optimization
• Low-resistance compounds
• Digital monitoring
• EV-specific performance

EVs Are Changing Tyre Engineering

Electric vehicles create different design requirements.

Engineers may need to account for:

• Vehicle weight
• Instant torque
• Rolling resistance
• Road noise
• Energy efficiency

Students Need to See Real Factories

Kanwar has emphasized exposing students to plants before graduation.

A manufacturing plant teaches lessons that are difficult to recreate in a classroom.

Students can observe:

• Production lines
• Quality control
• Safety systems
• Automation
• Supply chains

A Factory Problem Does Not Arrive as an Exam Question

A college examination might say:

Calculate the stress on this component using these values.

A real engineer may instead be told:

This product is failing after 20,000 kilometres. Find out why.

The second problem requires:

• Investigation
• Data
• Testing
• Judgement
• Iteration

Coding Is Becoming Useful Across Engineering Branches

Coding is no longer a skill only for Computer Science students.

Mechanical engineers may use code for:

• Simulation
• Automation
• Data analysis

Electrical engineers may use it for:

• Embedded systems
• Controls
• Signal processing

But Coding Alone Does Not Make an Engineer Future-Ready

A student who can code but does not understand the physical problem may build a technically functional but useless solution.

Domain knowledge matters.

Apollo’s Digital Innovation Philosophy Reinforces This

Apollo Tyres executives working on digital innovation have emphasized that AI must be combined with human and domain intelligence.

Technology creates business value only when engineers understand:

• The process
• The data
• The operational context
• The expected outcome

AI Is Transforming Manufacturing

Manufacturers can use AI for:

• Predictive maintenance
• Quality inspection
• Demand forecasting
• Process optimization
• Defect detection

AI Cannot Replace Engineering Fundamentals

If a machine-learning system predicts a component will fail, an engineer still needs to ask:

• Why?
• Is the data accurate?
• What physical mechanism causes the failure?
• What action should the plant take?

Engineers Need Data Literacy

Industry increasingly generates huge volumes of operational data.

Graduates should understand:

• Data quality
• Basic statistics
• Visualization
• Interpretation

Do All Engineers Need to Become Software Developers?

No.

Students do not necessarily need professional software-development expertise.

But basic computational literacy can make engineers more effective.

Internships Should Involve Live Problems

A good internship should expose students to real work rather than merely giving them a certificate.

Valuable experiences can include:

• Production improvement
• Testing
• Data analysis
• Design
• Quality projects

Students Should Ask What They Will Actually Do in an Internship

Before accepting one, ask:

• Will I have a mentor?
• Will I work on a real project?
• Will I use technical tools?
• Will I receive feedback?

Apollo Tyres Offers STEM Internship Exposure

Kanwar has described internship initiatives in which students contribute to live projects involving modern manufacturing and digitalization.

Industry Exposure Should Begin Before Final Year

Students often wait until the last semester to think about careers.

Earlier exposure can help them choose:

• Electives
• Projects
• Internships
• Specializations

Continuous Learning Does Not End After BTech

Kanwar has emphasized that learning cannot stop when an engineer joins a company.

Technology cycles are too fast.

Apollo Employees Pursue Advanced Research

The company supports employees undertaking:

• Higher education
• Research collaborations
• PhDs
• Engineering doctorates
• Patent development

Engineers Should Understand Intellectual Property

Innovation can eventually lead to:

• Patents
• New compounds
• Manufacturing processes
• Product features

Students should learn the basics of protecting technical ideas.

Industry 4.0 Requires Interdisciplinary Engineers

Modern factories combine:

• Mechanical equipment
• Electronics
• Software
• Sensors
• Networks
• AI

No single engineering discipline operates entirely alone.

Mechanical Engineers Need Digital Skills

A future mechanical engineer may work with:

• CAD
• Simulation
• Robotics
• Machine data
• Automation

Computer Engineers Need Domain Understanding

A software engineer building a manufacturing AI system needs to understand enough of the manufacturing process to create something useful.

Communication Is an Engineering Skill

Engineers need to explain problems to:

• Managers
• Technicians
• Suppliers
• Customers
• Other engineering teams

Problem Solving Beats Memorization

An employer rarely asks engineers to reproduce a textbook paragraph.

They are asked to solve problems where:

• Information may be incomplete
• Several solutions are possible
• Cost matters
• Time matters

What Should Engineering Students Learn Beyond the Syllabus?

Skill	Action for Students
Coding	Learn Python or another useful engineering language
AI	Understand tools, limitations and verification
Data	Learn spreadsheets, statistics and visualization
Design	Use branch-relevant CAD/simulation tools
Communication	Present projects clearly
Industry exposure	Complete meaningful internships and plant visits

Build One Serious Project Every Year

Projects provide evidence of skill.

A strong engineering portfolio can include:

• Problem statement
• Design
• Prototype
• Testing
• Failure
• Final result

Do Not Chase Every New Technology

Students see constant headlines about:

• AI
• Quantum computing
• Robotics
• Blockchain

Trying to learn everything superficially is less useful than building one strong technical foundation.

Fundamentals Remain the Safety Net

Technology tools will change.

Principles of:

• Mechanics
• Thermodynamics
• Electronics
• Materials
• Algorithms

remain valuable.

Industry-Academia Collaboration Can Improve Employability

Apollo Tyres’ partnerships illustrate one model:

• Industry helps shape academic content
• Students see real plants
• Engineers deliver expert sessions
• Students receive internships

Colleges Need More Than Placement Cells

Employability should be built throughout the degree, not just in final-year recruitment season.

What Should First-Year Engineering Students Do?

• Strengthen mathematics
• Learn one programming language
• Join a technical club
• Build basic projects

What Should Second- and Third-Year Students Do?

• Choose a domain
• Learn industry tools
• Seek internships
• Participate in competitions
• Work with faculty

What Should Final-Year Students Do?

• Build a strong capstone project
• Prepare for technical interviews
• Understand the industry
• Document project outcomes

Final Takeaway

Apollo Tyres Vice Chairman and Managing Director Neeraj Kanwar says the next generation of engineers must be prepared for a manufacturing world where engineering, data, digital tools and continuous learning increasingly overlap.

His central argument is that neither industry nor universities can create future-ready engineers alone. Students need engineering fundamentals from academia and practical exposure from industry.

Apollo’s university collaborations, tyre-technology curriculum, internships, plant visits and employee research initiatives show what that model can look like.

For students, the lesson is straightforward: a B.Tech degree remains valuable, but the engineers who stand out will increasingly be those who can use their fundamentals to solve real problems, work with digital technologies, communicate across teams and continue learning long after their final university examination.