New generation Starco Flex gains first OEM approval

The 2006 launch of Starco’s Flex Pro –known simply as the ‘Flex’ back then – heralded a step forward in puncture-free tyre technology for manual applications such as wheelbarrows, and this was followed up by the Flex Lite combined tyre-wheel unit in 2011. Now the Danish company has introduced its third-generation Flex product, the Flex iCore.

Developed in response to the rash of inferior quality ‘copycat’ products flooding the market, items that look like the Flex range but lack the performance, safety and quality of the original, the iCore comprises of a discreetly engineered polyurethane foam tyre that is moulded directly onto a plastic wheel. The wheel is made up of an easy to clean outer section that is moulded around what Starco describes as a “mechanically intelligent core”; this features a flexible outer section that distributes the load under rotation. The iCore assembly is completely sealed with no spokes or moulding structures in which dirt or contaminants may accumulate, a configuration that Starco says results in a product that is easy to clean and retains its attractive appearance.

The iCore was developed in close cooperation with some of Starco’s key OEM customers. It is a fully puncture-proof tyre that gives an excellent ride and absorbs shocks while reducing rolling resistance and the tendency for flat-spotting. The iCore is manufactured using 67 per cent recycled materials and is 100 per cent recyclable at the end of its working life. Starco says the product is fully compliant with the UK COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations, and as it contains no polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons the iCore is fully REACH compliant.

The first Starco OEM customers to approve the iCore, Altrad and Walsall Wheelbarrows Limited, have already taken delivery of the iCore (39-8 replacement) wheels and are fitting these as standard on certain wheelbarrow ranges for many of customers, a move that will lead to increased overall sales of Starco Flex assemblies. The public will get its first view of the Flex iCore at the Altrad stand during the International Eisenwaremesse in Cologne, Germany from 9-12 March. The Altrad stand is located in hall 4.2, stand C031-D032.