Recycled Tyres to Help Protect Olympic Horses

A product produced by Hong-Kong tyre recycling company Jets Technics products will be used in The Hong Kong Jockey Club Parade Ring in Shatin Racecourse. Jets Technics, beat overseas rivals to win a major contract for the equestrian events at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The company also makes flooring and wall tiling products that will line the stables and a clinic at the Olympic equestrian venue in Hong Kong to protect the valuable horses taking part in the event.

Jets Technics has been developing green technology in various markets for the past 27 years and sees the contract as “a significant coup.”

“There will be a good number of valuable horses coming for the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Event,” said John So Chi-chun, Assistant Director of Jets Technics. “To protect the horses’ hooves from being hurt, special materials need to be used in the walls and floorings of stables and the equestrian hospital.

Anti-bacterial

“The material should be elastic and water proof, and convenient for easy cleaning. The walls and floorings need to be kept dry and clean, so bacteria is not allowed to breed. Jets Technics is the only recycling company that manufactures this material, and provides a full range service such as repairs, maintenance and user guidance.”

More than 6,000 tyres collected from airlines and major bus franchises were used to make the 9,196 mats that will line the walls of four stables, a treatment centre and corridors that will be used by the horses. The mats, from 1.2 cm to 1.5 cm thick, are made of compressed-rubber.

Jets Technics was founded in 1980 when environmental awareness was much less of a priority than it is today, John So Chi-chun explained: “I observed heaps of deserted old tyres in the streets, then an idea came into my mind. Why not make the best use of it to make money? After all, those old tyres could be obtained without any cost. That is a good business with a promising future.”
Mr So intended to turn the tyres into soft cushions, but there was no suitable equipment available. So the innovative mechanic decided to make the machinery himself. Through recycling technology, advanced design and construction skills, the company has since developed a series of unique products and brands, including Jrex (fibre wood plastic), Childspec (for playground equipments) and Playcushion (a safety surface).

What started as a small local company with a few dozen employees has grown into a leading international recycled and recreational products manufacturer. The company listed on Singapore Stock Exchange in 2004 and now has some 300 people on the payroll. Jets operates a production base in Tai Po and another in the Chinese mainland.

Today, Jets Technics products are chosen in almost all the public parks and playgrounds in Hong Kong and are used as far afield as Spain and Japan, with potential business in Australia and Canada. Government departments account for 60 per cent of the firm’s total clients.

After winning a lease for 100,000 square feet of land in the first phase of the Hong-Kong government’s upcoming EcoPark, Jets expects to use up to 8,000 tonnes of waste tyres each year, out of 30,000 tonnes dumped in the city annually.