AIRP to Take Action Against Non-ECE-Certified Retreaders

There has not been any seismic shifts in the market since the UN-ECE regulations 108 and 109 were made mandatory in Europe on 13 September 2006. Many retreaders were already working according to these new regulations voluntary. Now, four week after the regulations came into effect, the Italian Tyre Retreaders Association AIRP has discussed ways of dealing with the black sheep in the Italien retreading industry and whether legel steps should be taken. There are currently 66 truck and passenger car tyre retreading plants in Italy which are operated by AIRP members.

16 of these facilities are now threatened with exclusion from the association. The reason? So far these AIRP members still haven’t undergone the compulsory certification procedure according to the new regulations. And this is simply in breach of law – in Italy like anywhere else in Europe. So the fact that some Italian retreaders are less than impressive when it comes to producing quality retreads, according to knowledgeable Italian sources, means a clear breach of law will not be tolerated by the AIRP. Sanctions will be imposed against uncooperative members.