Aeolus goes green, prepares for PCR production
Recently, Aeolus Tyre Co. announced a first in China –100 per cent environmentally friendly tyre production. The Jiaozuo-based company has taken steps in its manufacturing process so that all tyres produced from now on are REACH-compliant, and it claims to now produce medium truck/bus radials that boast longer tread life, greater retreadability and lower rolling resistance – as much as 24 per cent lower, according to Aeolus.
To celebrate the REACH compliance milestone, some 200 invited guests joined Aeolus for its ‘Greentyre Global Launch Event’, held on July 9 in Jiaozuo, Henan province. Reporting on the event, Tire Review shares that Aeolus general manager Wang Feng told attendees that “there are no specific tyre environmental protection laws or regulations in China. Most domestic tyre manufacturers have not promoted green tyres in the Chinese market until now. Aeolus has chosen to bear the cost to produce green tyres because of our values and our initiative to undertake social responsibility.”
Aeolus says its new generation of fuel-saving tyres is made without aromatic oils and with processes that create low levels of smoke, dust, noise and power consumption. This is, the company explains, achieved through low-temperature mixing, nitrogen curing, the use of pelletised carbon black and chemicals, the installation of a high efficiency dust arrestor in the plant, and zero emission wastewater recycling at the facility.
The new medium truck/bus radial tyres – Aeolus Green Tires, or AGT – offer decreased rolling resistance, the company claims. During testing, one AGT tyre (size 315/80R22.5) was shown to have 24 per cent lower rolling resistance compared to the same size standard Aeolus tyre. In fuel efficiency testing, the AGT tyre showed a seven per cent decrease in fuel consumption compared to its standard equivalent. The tyre maker added that its AGT medium truck/bus radials can now be retreaded twice due to a new design with a stronger casing, cooler-running tread and four-ply belt construction.
“We expect and we have gotten consistently high quality products, reliable supply and very fair pricing in working with Aeolus these 19 months,” said Manny Cicero, president of Alliance Tire Americas, the sole distributor of Aeolus commercial vehicle tyres in the United States. “And we are working together to invest in and build the Aeolus name in the US. We’re very excited about the new Greentyre initiative.”
A further Aeolus announcement follows on the heels of green production and AGT: Aeolus intends to begin producing passenger car radials, an entirely new product segment for the 46-year old tyre maker. Although only at the trial production stage at this point in time, Aeolus has invested heavily in a new plant designated for manufacturing high performance, UHP, winter and eco-friendly passenger tyres, as well as light commercial vehicle and 4×4 products.
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