Kabat: Tyres, tubes & compounds

Even if you aren’t familiar with the name Kabat Tyre, chances are that you’ve owned or used products that have a Kabat connection. This is because the Polish company isn’t just the largest manufacturer of inner tubes in Europe and a manufacturer of tyres for the off-highway segment – it also supplies rubber compounds to big-name tyre makers.

When speaking at The Tire Cologne with Katarzyna Kabat, vice-president of the company’s board, we learned that of the approximately 200 tonnes of rubber Kabat Tyre produces daily at its 70,000 square metre facility in Budzyń, near Poznan, it utilises some 70 tonnes in the production of inner tubes, flaps, o-rings and other rubber products, and a further 40 tonnes in the production of pneumatic and solid tyres. According to Katarzyna Kabat, the company sells the remainder as compounds to “major European tyre makers.” While contractual obligations prevent her from naming these firms, she tells us that Kabat’s customers are well-known names in the business.

Solid tyres

Kabat solid tyres for industrial applications utilise cylindrical six-segment radial matrices rather than the two-half matrix technology traditionally used in solid tyre production. The company says that six-segment technology, which also commonly features in the manufacture of radial truck and car tyres, eliminates the problem of uneven wear often seen when tyres are cured in two-half matrices. Kabat offers four versions of solid tyre: New Power, super-elastic three-layer tyres suited to companies who operate their forklifts non-stop on a range of surfaces; New Power HD, made using a HD rubber compound for conditions that cause high tread wear; New Power non-marking, containing silica instead of carbon black; Eco Power, a range with a two-layer structure designed for forklifts used with moderate intensity.

Agri/industrial tyres

The current Kabat pneumatic tyre portfolio contains agricultural, agro-industrial tyres as well as tyres for lawn care and implement applications. Retreaded products, including radials for agricultural trailers, construction tyres and truck drive tyres, are also available. Katarzyna Kabat reports that the company intends to expand its agricultural tyre offer with the launch of a flotation tyre range in 2023.