North American Retreading Conference Grows in 2008

According to statistics released by TRIB, approximately 18.6 million retreaded tyres were sold in the North America region (US, Canada & Mexico) in 2006, generating sales exceeding US$3 billion. Other sources indicate that the US retreading market alone generated revenues of $1.25 billion in 2006, growing to $1.5 billion the following year. The majority of these were medium truck tyres, and in this market nearly half of all replacement truck tyres fitted to vehicles are now retreads. To keep abreast of developments in this lucrative industry – 2007 gross profit in the US retreading market was estimated at 13 per cent of sales – a number of those associated with the 900 or so retreading facilities operating in North America attended this year’s Commercial Tire, Retread & Recycling Conference (CTRRC) in Florida between February 5 and 8.

Organised by the Tire Industry Association (TIA), the 2008 show was the second to be held. The previous year TIA took the decision to team up with the Annual Meeting of the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) of the American Trucking Associations to provide the retreading industry with something previously lacking: “Our goal was to provide the commercial tyre dealers and retreaders with an event that they could call their own,” commented the TIA’s Kevin Rohlwing in a document released by the organisation. “After all, the retailers have SEMA in Las Vegas and the off-the-road guys have had an annual conference for fifty years.” Pairing the retreading and recycling conference with a larger show was a choice dictated by practicalities, Rohlwing added. “The reality is the commercial and retread market is simply not big enough to sustain its own convention and trade show.”

Following the inaugural 2007 conference, to which the CTRRC itself received 240 registrations, it was agreed that sufficient interest had been generated to warrant a second event. It has even been suggested that the show’s move from Tampa, Florida to a larger venue in Orlando this year was in part made to provide space for exhibitors from the retreading and recycling industries. The TIA, said Rohlwing prior to the 2008 show, is “working with TMC to get more commercial tyre and retread companies to participate in the exhibition.

“In the end, the vision of the event is entirely dependent on the TIA members who operate commercial tyre dealerships and retread plants,” he added. “If we can get the attendance, then we can attract the exhibitors so the attendees will have something to look at on the trade show floor besides truck equipment and maintenance.”

Significant drawcards for those from the retreading industry were the conference and educational workshops organised by the TIA. The content of these varied and covered a broad spectrum of topics, including a tyre manufacturer’s forum, TPMS, tyre and wheel repair, plus numerous issues related to tyre recycling. However several sessions focused exclusively on matters pertaining to retreading. One such workshop dealt with the subject of improving envelope life and new buffing rasp technology.

This particular seminar tackled the diametrically opposing priorities of speed and quality; specifically, whether it is best to buff a tyre as cheaply and swiftly as possible or place an emphasis on creating a good buffed texture that will make the casing more usable, and thus more valuable. A number of industry representatives gave presentations during the seminar, including B&J Manufacturing, manufacturer of a new rasp design it believes is revolutionary in terms of cutting efficiency.

The new B&J product, the Duro-Max Rasp, takes the traditional design of rasps used on Matteuzzi circumferential buffers one step further – while traditionally only blades in the middle of the unit were fully utilised, the Duro-Max rasp is configured so that the entire surface of the rasp is employed productively. “Gone are the days when just six or seven rows of blades do all of the cutting with Matteuzzi buffers,” commented Robert W. Burnetter, president of B&J Manufacturing. Mr. Burnetter further stated that, when paired with his company’s Duro-Max III Rasp blade, the rasp provides users with the lowest cost per buffed tyre through increased performance and blade longevity.

Other seminar topics included how to minimise the occurrence of pre-cure retreading chamber fires, a session hosted by the TIA’s Marvin Bozarth along with Tim Feazell, a loss prevention expert with Zurich Direct Underwriters who specialises in retread plant operations. An overview of the truck transportation and tyre markets was also held, with RMA president and CEO Don Shea providing specific information and 2008 forecasts for the tyre industry. It is believed that the US replacement truck tyre market will grow by 500,000 units in 2008, an increase of about 3 per cent. Retreaded tyres, as stated earlier, will account for almost 50 per cent of this total.