Competing on the Premium Level

As a leading independent retread operation, Bandvulc Tyres has learnt to adapt its business model to the various market conditions it has encountered over the years. However, the Ivybridge, Devon-based family business remains unwilling to compromise on either quality or the ambitious targets it sets itself. With production expected to be around 200,000 units this year and having attained IS0 14001 in 2007, the company now aims to set the pace in terms of environmental tyre production.

One of managing director Patrick O’Connell’s targets for 2008 is to increase international sales. Bandvulc’s
number one target market is Germany, something that is evidenced by the fact that the company appointed a German speaking salesperson to cater specifically for this market at the end of last year. Bandvulc currently exports a total of around 5 per cent of production and has been selling tyres in Germany via the well-known, Conti-owned retail chain Vergoelst for four years now. O’Connell is very
positive about progress in the market: “Germany has a lot of potential,” he commented.

Bandvulc punches above its weight in terms of tyreproduction and development too. Speaking to Tyres & Accessories in late February, managing director, Patrick O’Connell revealed that Bandvulc re-invests £1 million a year into its manufacturing process alone.

As far as product development is concerned, the fact that Bandvulc does all its own compounding through its Devon Rubber division means the company is well-positioned to develop the new low rolling resistance compounds fleets now demand. In order to fulfil these demands Devon Rubber recently started using a specialist carbon black in its tread compounds and, as a result, all Bandvulc tyres are expected to benefit from the wear characteristics it provides.

Bandvulc is also using some of the latest digitised tyre footprint analysis systems and as a result will soon launch a number of updated products which have been optimised to improve mileage and handling characteristics. This range of tyres is known as the Plus range.

Equipment investments

The latest machinery update at Bandvulc is the addition of a new high speed shearography machine from Steinbichler in Germany. According to the company, casing shearography has been shown to save on inprocess rejects due to casing failures which would otherwise not be detected until each tyre is finally inspected before leaving the factory.

Following its installation, this £150,000 machine is now handling 250 (mainly 385 width) casings daily. Through further automation and potentially extending the period of operation, this will increase the quantity processed close to 80 per cent of total volume through the manufacturing facility.

However, the machinery upgrades don’t end there. During Tyres & Accessories’ factory tour, O’Connell revealed that Bandvulc is currently upgrading its entire collection of curing presses (42 in all). So far, the company has already installed and is running five bagomatic presses which are monitored in great detail by a bespoke-designed piece of computer software.

In addition to the sheer scale of curing presses that are installed, the fact that the Ivybridge plant is the only retread production site in Britain that uses three Marangoni Alpha Twin tyre building machines demonstrates Bandvulc’s quality orientated production philosophy.

Casing the joint

All retreaders need a steady supply of quality casings. That’s why at any given point Bandvulc has a stock of around 20,000 casings in its yard pre inspected. During the checking procedure, detailed notes of damage, husbandry and usage are stored in the company’s unique CCC (centralized database) system. To date this system has logged 10 years worth of inspections, relating to literally millions of casings. And all this gives Bandvulc a deep insight into the manufacturing consistency of various tyremakers’ overseas operations. It also enables the retreader to select from a wider range of casings than some retread producers. This gives the company the flexibility of reusing the range of tyres that may be fitted to a fleet’s vehicles.

Following inspection all tyres are barcoded using Bandvulc’s unique ‘Merlin’ product tracking system, which was installed last April. Next, approved tyres are conveyed to an adjoining building where casings are buffed down on 4 TRM computer automated machines (after inspection all casings are transported around the factory on an overhead monorail system). Following repair in one of Bandvulc’s eight “knights of the round table” themed repair bays, tyres are once again checked for defects including nail holes, using Hawkinson machinery.

After curing, the newly reborn tyres go through a post production test procedure that includes visual test, inflation test and the less common sonic testing. The latter sees the newly cured and trimmed tyre submerged in water and then showered with ultrasonic frequencies in a process not dissimilar to the ultrasound scans expectant mothers have. According to O’Connell, this technique is more effective than any other at detecting porosity. Again the software was designed by Bandvulc and custom produced for the independent retreader.

Greener than green

At the beginning of last year Bandvulc began an 11-month long project to obtain ISO 14001 certification. This was headed up by Matteo Littera, the company’s then Knowledge Transfer Partnership graduate. According to Bandvulc every single one of the 250+ workforce in Ivybridge was involved in its implementation.

While many manufacturing companies have achieved ISO 14001, what is unusual about Bandvulc is its whiter than white transparency about the details of its green policy, and the company’s attention to detail in this respect. How many other companies volunteer the information that switching the company boiler system to automatic start will save 443,136kWh per year (83 tons of CO2)?

Bandvulc’s Green thinking approach stretches as far as the boardroom, with company management keen to highlight the fact that its retreads have saved (at the time of going to press) 2 million litres of oil and 1.3 million kilos of rubber this year alone. Outside of the boardroom, Tyres & Accessories heard that certain senior managers’ company car choice is now heavily influenced by the amount of CO2 vehicles emit. Even company literature is printed on recycled carbon neutral paper!