Vipal Preaches Benefits of Tyre Retreading

Brazilian company Borrachas Vipal S.A., a leading worldwide manufacturer of tyre retreading and repair products, will be participating at Reifen 2006—and will be showcasing its complete line of products, particularly its exclusive retreading and repair lines.

“Our objective is to expand and consolidate our presence in the European market in 2006. Therefore, participating in this trade show is significantly important for us to strengthen our relationships with tyre retreaders and distributors, fleet operators and truckers. Our distribution centres in Spain and Slovenia are fundamental to this process, but it’s the quality and diversity of our product line that have been making the difference,” asserts Mr. João Carlos Paludo, Vice-President of Vipal.

As an exhibitor at Reifen 2006, Vipal will be highlighting the VZA-B tread, exclusively for retreading Super Single tyres, which replace the sets of double wheels on tractor trailers. The VZA-B tread—which has a 295-mm base and was designed for medium and long hauls—features shoulders that are more resistant to the effects of lateral drag.

Vipal will also be highlighting several of its latest launches. Among the company’s new products are the V-SET and V-SEL treads, tested and approved by the trucks of Team Volkswagen at the 2005 edition of the “Rally dos Sertões,” one of Latin America’s largest off-road racing events, held annually in Brazil. It was the first time that a rally racing team successfully used retreaded tyres.

Vipal’s state-of-the-art manufacturing processes—developed for extra heavy-duty transport under the severest of conditions, such as irregular terrain—give these treads the feature of safety along with top-notch performance. As proof of this: during the “Rally dos Sertões,” none of Vipal’s retreads experienced any type of problems or had to be replaced, even with the extreme wear-and-tear that these trucks undergo (many of them routinely require the replacement of shock absorbers and other parts during the race).

Another one of Vipal’s recent product launches is the VJ 900 tread, designed specifically for the off-road market. This tread features rubber compounds and groove patterns geared specifically for off-road use, in addition to one other outstanding feature: tread grooves on the sides of the tyres, necessary for greater traction on rocky terrain, for example.

As well as presenting its line of products at the show, Vipal will also be highlighting the benefits of tyre retreading for the transportation sector, where using retreads can lead to highly significant reductions in costs. “We know that, after fuel, tyres represent the second highest cost on products for ground transportation. Imagine how much a carrier can save, for example, by choosing for retreads. Therefore, we’ve invested heavily in technology in order to produce treads that, in addition to offering quality and safety, help reduce operational costs,” states Mr. Paludo.

Besides cost factors, environmental issues are also significant to the tyre retread market. “It is estimated that around two million new tyres are produced every day around the world, and the challenge for many countries is to create alternatives to prevent used tyres from causing environmental problems. And retreading is the foremost alternative, since it reduces the overall number of used tyres that are discarded,” concludes Paludo.

Vipal is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of products for retreading and repairing tyres and inner tubes. A pioneer in cold vulcanization technology for tyre repair in Brazil, Vipal possesses manufacturing plants in the city of Nova Prata, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with more than 2,200 employees, and exports its products to all continents. The company has distribution centres located in key Brazilian states as well as in other countries in South America, North America, and Europe.