Bringing Back Respectability to Car Tyre Retreading

(India/Rubber Asia) Talk to motorists in most European countries about retreads and retreading, but don’t expect much more than a blank look in return. If you are lucky enough to strike a cord of recognition, you are likely to be quickly disappointed as soon as it becomes clear that the word retreading is irretrievably confused with terms like recut, regrooved (illegal in the case of car tyres) or part-worn. Somewhere along the line it is obvious that the retread has suffered a serious image problem.

Of course, this not true of all sectors of the market. Truck tyre retreading is buoyant and is marketed to the truck user as an intrinsic part of the total product life cycle by all of the major new tyre manufacturers.

The large fleet operators are merciless when it comes to cost control, they need no persuading to focus on overall tyre costs per kilometre. They have been much more willing to cast prejudice aside and to objectively view retreading for what it is, a process which safely and economically extends the life of the carcass.

See-no-evil syndrome

So why and when did things go so wrong for car tyre retreading? Everyone has their own opinion and theory, but there are some clear favourites. Most blame cheap new budget tyre brands for the problem, pointing to the fact that until recently at least many of these came into our markets at very low prices so dramatically narrowing the historic gap between retread and new products.

Personally, I do not believe it is as simplistic as this. The fact of the matter is that 20 or more years ago when the car retread started to take a serious tumble, the product already had an image problem and was not keeping up with the latest trends. Retreads failed too often and their manufacturers did little to counter this image problem or improve product quality.

What’s more, the tyre trade itself came to despise the retread. You get what you pay for was the familiar refrain. The tread patterns were old, retreaders did not keep pace with radialisation and many retreads were marketed with much lower speed ratings than new tyre equivalents. The car tyre retread was just old hat, a down-market product that fewer and fewer people trusted or wanted.

Just a handy decoy!

Then there was another factor which hurt the poor old car tyre retread. Dealers didn’t like them because they were too cheap. They were a low-margin product which too often brought the customer back with a complaint.

So, instead, the retailers used them as a weapon in the sales war. Retailers who had no intention of ever actually selling a retread all the same advertised them at low prices to attract price-conscious customers, but when face-to-face with those customers, would talk them into buying a ‘safer’ and more profitable new tyre!

Then there was another ploy, by pricing the retread a little on the high side and so reducing the price differential between the retread and a budget brand new tyre, an already sceptical motorist could easily be persuaded into the more expensive (and higher margin) purchase on grounds of quality and safety.

With its already negative image, the retread did not stand a chance. No point in trying to explain just how many trucks use retreads safely and economically day in and day out, or that aircraft tyres are routinely retreaded up to half a dozen times.

The net result: The passenger retread became a despised product and with sales plummeting, it was too weak to fight back.

Back-to-the-wall battle

There are small signs that the few remaining brands are fighting back. Helped by growing public support for reuse and recycling and by promoting a ‘green’ image, retreaders are successfully targeting niche markets like winter tyres and 4 x 4 sizes. There are even calls for government-owned vehicle fleets to demonstrate their green credentials and commit to fitting retreads.

Furthermore, because many retreaders operate their own casing collection networks they are often well-placed to play an important role in national or regional recycling schemes.

Outside Europe, it is all very different. Retreading in Asia’s big markets is actually on the increase, with China alone expected to have 1,000 retread outfits operating within a very few years. But this rapid expansion carries its dangers if the products produced fail to meet respectable quality norms. Europe’s story surely contains a clear lesson?

Lose a customer & lose him for good

To be successful, retreaders need to keep apace of industry developments if they are to retain the confidence of the vehicle owner. Maintaining an image of acceptability, even of quality, is crucial and that means investing in and offering the sizes and types the market demands as well as delivering the price advantage the customer seeks.

Failure to do so rapidly leads to a collapse in product image and loss of customers who may never be won back. This message may not be a palatable one, but it is one that must be faced .