Obo Tyres supplying Techking new tyre range – with guarantee, buyback and retreading

Starting January 2015, Dutch retreader Obo Tyres has entered the new tyre business and is distributing certain Techking tyre lines. This new venture draws upon the company’s half-century of expertise in the retreading segment, and provides customers with a package that covers the full tyre casing life.

“The second life concept, as only Obo Tyres can provide this, contains three unique elements with no equals done by any supplier in Europe,” states company CEO Herman Hutten. These three extras, he explains, are a five-year Obo Tyres warranty on the new tyre, a casing buyback guarantee, and – last but not least – quality retreading. The retreader likens the buyback guarantee to a deposit, as customers handing the tyre back to Obo Tyres after the end of its first life receive a guaranteed amount of money, or otherwise can make savings by having the tyre retreaded.

Hutten says the both Obo Tyres and Techking view the new arrangement as a welcome addition to the existing range. “We chose the Chinese brand Techking Tires after a year and a half of intensive testing. We state that this brand delivers high-quality radial tyres that can be retreaded after fulfilling its first life.” The CEO adds: “The Techking tyres match the quality we are used to in Europe.”

Obo will exclusively distribute the range in France and the ‘DACH’ markets – Germany, Austria and Switzerland – and will also be present with Techking on a non-exclusive basis in some other markets, including the United Kingdom. Obo’s Techking programme is not available in the Benelux region, however. The programme covers Techking OTR radials for loaders, dozers, graders, earthmoving equipment, mobile cranes, and tyres for port and underground mining applications. While Techking also produces giant tyres, those offered by Obo Tyres will exclusively be 35-inch or smaller fitments. The off-road retreading specialist will not supply Techking truck and bus or passenger car tyres.

The reason Obo Tyres decided to take on the distribution of new tyres is that while a slight increase has been seen in the industrial tyre market, the supply of retreadable worn tyres and casings has declined. As many Chinese brands are not well-suited to retreading, in the past Obo mainly worked with casings sourced from European tyre makers. However the company is now confident it has found a worthy quality partner in Techking, and believes the new programme will facilitate a good supply of casings in future.

Obo Tyres anticipates that its own workforce will grow as a result of the Techking programme. Initially the sales and logistics departments will be expanded, while further down the track the company will look at increasing production.