MRF, Madras Rubber Factory, is an Indian multinational tire manufacturing company, founded in 1946, and by today grown into the largest tire manufacturer in India, and the sixth largest manufacturer in the world. The factory is headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and has production facilities in several cities across the country.
MRF Limited was founded in 1946, and at that time it specialized in the manufacture of air tubes. A few years later, in 1952, it first announced itself as a new developer-manufacturer of car tires. In the second half of the 1960s, technological arsenal and market success allowed Madras Rubber Factory to export tires to the US market, making it the first company of its kind from India to launch its product in a region with very high requirements for automotive tires.
By cooperating with such industry giants as American Goodrich and Italian Pirelli, MRF Limited has acquired strategically important partners. The consequence of these joint business projects has been the renewal of the model range with tires based on more innovative principles of driver and passenger safety.
From year to year, the industrial complexes of the MRF corporation are growing, research centers are strengthening control of the checks of the produced tire models, and the company’s pricing policy is very pleasant for the car owners.
What is MRF?
MRF is an abbreviation, standing for the Madras Runner Factory, one of the largest tire manufacturers in India, which was established in 1946. Currently, MRF Tyres has eight plants in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu with a total capacity of 120 thousand times per day.
In terms of visual identity, the Indian manufacturer of tires is very stable and consistent — MRF still uses a badge, created for it at the very beginning of its history, in 1946. This logo fully reflects the confidence and professionalism of the company, and its color palette adds dynamic and energy to its qualities.
The logo, designed for the Madras Rubber Factory, or MRF, in 1946, features heavy geometric lettering in a custom serif font with extra-thick lines, massive square serifs, and the three uppercase characters merged with each other. The inscription is set in a classic shade of red and is usually placed against a white background, which elevated the palette and strengthens the contrast of the colors, making the ends of the letters look distinctive and strict.
The massive and stable uppercase lettering from the official MRF logo is set in a custom gravimetric serif font with extra-bold lines and square serifs on their ends. The lettering looks very brutal and a bit aggressive, due to the straight cuts, elongated lines, clean angles of the characters, and their color. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Artegra Slab Extended Black, or Winner Extended Extra Bold, but with the contours of the “R” modified — the top part of the letter rounded.
As for the color palette of the Madras Rubber Factory, it is based on just one shade — red, which is a symbol of power, professionalism, and passion. This color strengthens the look of the badge and shows the company as a confident and reliable one. Red is also a color of motion and evolution, and here it also points to the progressive approach of MRF to all of its processes, from production to marketing.