Chennai, India (also known as Madras) has been called the “The Detroit of India” in that it possesses one-third of India’s entire automotive industry. Chennai is home for MRF (Madras Rubber Factory Limited) which is India’s second largest tire company. Also many other rubber companies have a large manufacturing presence in the Chennai metropolitan area.
The India Rubber Expo (IRE) commonly meets in Chennai. The IRE is one of the large rubber expositions in the world and will commonly have 5,000 visitors. Also, other conferences such as the ATRC (Asian Tyre and Rubber Conference) will select Chennai for their meeting site. In 2020, India will be hosting the IRC (International Rubber Conference) in Chennai.
Chennai is also home to Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) which has a rather large rubber technology program and graduates a relatively large number of excellent rubber technologists, scientists and engineers into the rubber industry each year.
The population of Chennai itself is about 7 million, making it the sixth largest city in India. However, the population for the metropolitan area of Chennai is 10.5 million, which makes it the 44th largest in the world.
The offices of MRF are not far from the beautiful Bay of Bengal, which it overlooks with its beaches. Chennai is the largest economic, cultural, and educational center in South India. It is not far from the Mahabalipuram Temples. Sometimes this area is referred to as the Seven Pagodas, which are a “must see”. They date back to the 9th Century.
Other sites to see are given below.
- Kapaleeshwarar Temple
- Thomas Mount
- Santhome Cathedral
- Government Museum