Partnership to Fuel Cement Industry

The scrap tyre companies Sapphire Energy Recovery and Saltire Recovery have entered into a major contract with tyre wholesaler and retailer Stapleton’s Tyre Services. The three-year contract, that commenced at the end of 2006, will see Sapphire and Saltire potentially receive more than a million worn out tyres a year.

U.K. scrap tire companies Saltire Recovery and Sapphire Energy Recovery have signed a major contract with U.K. auto service retailer Stapleton’s Tyre Services. The three-year contract could put more than one million end-of-life tires into the hands of Saltire and Sapphire in each of the next three years.

Sapphire Energy Recovery, a joint venture between Michelin Tyre PLC and Lafarge Cement UK, specialises in supplying end of life tyres to the cement industry as fuel. The company has processed more than 50 million tyres since being established in 2001.

The partnership is one that makes sense for both parties. “Stapleton’s sells more than 4 million tyres annually, receiving back more than one million used tyres,” commented Peter Allen, Stapleton’s commercial director. “The Service Charter that Sapphire and Saltire presented and the guarantees that it offered are something Stapleton’s require and we are delighted to be associated with this level of professionalism and service. On the basis of these guarantees, Stapleton’s has immediately benefited.”

Saltire’s Keith Rodgers has made equally positive comments, “I believe this type of contract is a first for the industry. This is the first contract under these new service guarantees and demonstrates that the tyre collection industry is developing standards of service and professionalism by working together without jeopardising individual competitiveness. This contract helps secure continued investment in both plant and people for the next three years.”