The Directorate General of Quality Assurance, Ministry of Defence held a conference on tyres where tyre and other ancillary automotive manufacturers presented technical papers on tyre technology on the 9th and 10th of October 2009. 
The Dept. of Quality tests everything from clothing to battle tanks at the Vehicle Research and Development Establishment, Ahmednagar (VRDE). The seminar covered topics like design parameters of tyres, overview of rubber science and technology, development of tyre technology in India, new tyre testing, standard test procedure for the Military Run Flat System, tyre protection solution concept etc. Manufacturers like Tata, MRF, Apollo, JK, Ashok Leyland and Michelin were one of the few to share a few of their technical papers.
There was also a small exhibition where tyre manufacturers like MRF and Michelin displayed their tyres, Ride-On Puncture sealant stall; and Tata displayed a bulletproof Sumo designed for military use. The Sumo had a 3.0-litre DiCOR engine and the vehicle weighed approximately 3.5tonnes thanks to the armour.
Major General MS Prakash, Addl DGQA was pleased with this tyre seminar and he said, "Seminar on tyre tehnology organized by DGQA wil benefit all in idetifying and addressing areas of concern. Knowledge on the technological advancement in the field of pneumatic tyres wil be useful for Defence Services, who are the largest single buyers of tyres in the country."
