Regrooving helps customers and customer retention – interview with Rema Tip Top's Marc Jürgens

These days, companies that specialise in the sale of new or retreaded truck tyres must always offer their customers a comprehensive product portfolio plus a regrooving service. Through professional regrooving, a tyre’s mileage can be increased by a further 25 per cent, simultaneously reducing the pence per mile cost. Speaking with Tyres & Accessories, Marc Jürgens, product manager Tyre Repair Tools and Chemicals at Rema Tip Top, explained why regrooving is important, how it can help retain customers and what must be taken into consideration in the workshop.

Tyres & Accessories:
Why is there a need for truck tyres to be regrooved?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
In this day and age tyre mileage should be fully utilised. For fleet operators this doesn’t just mean a potential 25 per cent increase in lifespan, rather also additional on-road safety through improved grip during the final quarter of a tyre’s life by taking full advantage of the casing’s value. In fact, in most cases a retreaded tyre’s tread can be regrooved a second time.
Regrooving serves as a separate service that brings the customer to the tyre dealership. Once there, the customer may receive advice about their next new tyres or retreading and enter into a deal. Thus regrooving builds up customer retention and draws in additional business.

Tyres & Accessories:
Is the market significance of regrooving changing?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
In recent years the significance of regrooving has been growing, and this trend appears to still be on the rise. Demand for regrooving equipment and for blades shows no sign of abating.

Tyres & Accessories:
In your opinion, what is the reason for this development?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
Overall rising operating costs such as fuel, wages and other material costs play a role in the continued rising significance of regrooving. Business owners are relatively powerless against fuel costs and nearly all wage-related possibilities have already been exhausted. However business owners can still reduce costs through their tyres – through regrooving and retreading.

Tyres & Accessories:
Can you estimate how many truck tyres are regrooved each year in Germany and Europe?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
We estimate that approximately 20 to 25 per cent of all truck tyres in Germany are regrooved. This proportion is even higher in other European countries, depending on economic conditions and legislation regarding minimum tread depth.

Tyres & Accessories:
What sort of qualification should or must a regroover have?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
According to (German) policy for regrooving pneumatic tyres, this work must be carried out by qualified and proficient staff. Tuition according to tyre makers’ manufacturing policy and on the regrooving equipment’s operating instructions is necessary. Tyre service operations with high quality standards employ trained, professional staff.

Tyres & Accessories:
Which dealers should offer this service?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
Basically, every tyre dealer that trades in truck tyres should offer this service. A facility for demounting wheels from the vehicle for regrooving is necessary, as is a secure bracket for the heavy wheel, so that it can be consistently turned in the running direction.

Tyres & Accessories:
Can technical errors be made during regrooving?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
Several important points must be heeded during regrooving, otherwise lasting damage can be done to the tyre. During the tyre’s manufacture the word ‘regroovable’ is printed on the sidewall in order to indicate its regroovability. Then, at the beginning of a job, the remaining tread depth must be measured at multiple points in order to find the most worn area and to adjust the blades to this value plus four millimetres; the manufacturer’s instructions must be observed in this doing this. When this work is not properly carried out the blades’ cutting depth can be set too deeply and in a strongly worn area may cut too close to the belt package cord or else expose the steel cord. This leads to rusting and can destroy the belt. Regulations require a minimum of two millimetres of rubber remaining over the steel belt.
Furthermore, regrooving should only be performed in the tread’s main grooves; these can be identified on the wear indicators. Should clear manufacturer regrooving instructions be present on the tyre’s tread, cross-ribs can also be regroved from the block tread elements. In other cases the danger of weakening the remaining tread rubber exists, and this can lead to chipping.
The cutting temperature must be set to enable the optimal cutting speed without singeing the rubber. Depending on the operator’s experience and the tread’s cross section, the optimal heat setting on our equipment is two or three. If fumes appear during regrooving, the temperature is set too high and the tread surface will become tacky. Only rounded blades, such as the ‘R-Fix’ type, should be used for on-road treads in order to avoid tread crumbling.

Tyres & Accessories:
How long does it take to regroove a typical truck tyre?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
There is no general rule of thumb here. It depends on staff ability and on whether the tyres are securely clamped in place or, in addition to the regrooving procedure, extra concentration upon the tyre’s safe movement is necessary. The tread design is also important. A simple tread pattern with four circumferential grooves takes an average of ten to fifteen minutes to regroove. A block tread requiring numerous short cuts requires an average of 20 to 30 minutes per tyre due to the frequent change of direction during cutting.

Tyres & Accessories:
Can every truck tyre, including winter tyres, be regrooved?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
Regulations covering the regrooving of pneumatic tyres do not stipulate any restrictions, however the recommendations of each tyre manufacturer should be taken into consideration, and the tyre must have the marking ‘regroovable’ upon it. Information regarding this can be found on manufacturers’ websites.

Tyres & Accessories:
Which tyres shouldn’t be regrooved?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
In cases where tyres show signs of uneven wear or display what the regulations consider to be irreparable damage, then the tyre should not be regrooved.

Tyres & Accessories:
Must a truck tyre be regrooved in the place where it was purchased?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
The regrooving service can also be undertaken in other locations. Some logistics firms have qualified staff and the appropriate equipment in their own workshops. Dedicated retreaders seldom offer the service, yet tyre dealers with service facilities do, as they have an interest in correctly regrooving tyres so that the casings are still able to be retreaded in future.

Tyres & Accessories:
Is the tyre industry itself involved in regrooving?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
The tyre industry offers regrooving services through their service networks. To date we are not aware of any specialist regrooving businesses that solely focus on this service. If anything, new tyre manufacturers that offer their own retreading recommend the regrooving of retreads in order to increase mileage during the second tyre life.

Tyres & Accessories:
What tools and accessories does Rema Tip Top currently offer for regrooving?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
At present we offer two regrooving machines in our product portfolio. Both machines have a separate transformer and hand grip, which makes the grip lighter and thus ergonomically better. The ‘TC 300’ differs mainly from the ‘RC 400’ in that its four speed settings were specifically developed for high to medium cutting speeds; the ‘RC 400’ offers eight speed settings. These have the advantage that inexperienced users can also quickly find the correct heat and speed setting combination.

The ‘Rubber Cut Station’ is an efficient, small regrooving unit with a stop-and-go function and includes a stand for the regrooving unit, integrated setting gauge and storage space.

Tyres & Accessories:
Has regrooving benefitted from any recent technical developments or improvements?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
The introduction of the ‘TC 300’ was significant for its use of a very flexible cutting cable. This optimises manoeuvrability during regrooving. Transformer technology has also been improved to optimise energy usage.

Tyres & Accessories:
What level of investment in tools and accessories is required for regrooving?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
Investment starts at around 300 euros, plus the cost of cutting blades, which cost around five euros for a 20 pack. We have a variety of cutting blades for 3 to 14 millimetres in our portfolio.

Tyres & Accessories:
Is more than one process or technology used in regrooving? What is the dominant process, and why?

Marc Jürgens, Rema Tip Top:
Regrooving has utilised sophisticated technology for a number of years now. The electrically-heated cutting blades are optimally pre-bent in order to enable the correct tread contours and cutting width. The cutting depth can be adjusted. In principle, all units on the market operate in the same manner. Electrical capacities from 300 to 1,000 watts are available for use with various blades and material strengths.