New additions bring RTA membership close to 300
The Retread Tire Association reports a membership list approaching the 300 mark. The US-based retreading association has announced the addition of a number of new members, including Chilean retreading association Asociación De Renovadores Y Recauchadores De Neumáticos De Chile, Malaysian companies Eversafe Rubber Works, P Tread 1 Rubber Company and Sun Rubber Industry, plus – closer to home – Illinois-based firm Salem Tire Center. According to the RTA, the association has also gained several other new members, however they have opted to remain anonymous.
Continue ReadingBandvulc witnesses ‘software revolution’ over the past 12 years
In the 12 years since Bandvulc Tyre Contracts (BTC) was formed in 2000, the company has established a 24/7/365 Tyre Support Unit (TSU), Galahad job sheet web software, a fully functional disaster recovery suite, new generation phone hardware/software and web-based reporting. Today the business manages over 100 key transport fleets including many well-known blue-chip names with the UK’s largest supermarket retailers all using Bandvulc tyres managed by BTC. At the centre of all this is what the company refers to as a technology and specifically a software revolution.
Continue ReadingHexpol acquires US retreading supplier Robbins
Swedish polymer group Hexpol has acquired US retreading industry supplier Robbins. The US$89.2 million deal covers the purchase of Robbins Holdings, Inc., including Robbins LLC.
Continue ReadingMarangoni reports increased truck and EM profitability in the first 9 months
During a recent sales meeting, Marangoni Spa truck and earthmoving division’s management reported that, despite the market and overall demand not being expected to pick up over the coming months, this part of the business has achieved increased market share and profitability in the first nine months of 2012. Furthermore company representatives report that the development plans put in place mean they expect positive results achieved this year to continue into 2013.
Continue ReadingMarangoni Meccanica completes TRM acquisition
Marangoni’s retreading machinery business, Marangoni Meccanica reports that the company has completed the acquisition of retreading equipment manufacturer TRM. According to the company, this development represents the achievement of its targets of the “rationalization and innovation” of its business although further details about exactly what this means have not been released.
Continue ReadingMarangoni calls for reductions in hours for all 350 Rovereto employees
Last week, Marangoni asked unions to approve a restructuring plan and proposed investment of 2.7 million euros into its retreading operations. According to Tyrepress.com’s Italian sister site PneusNews.it, the proposal includes a major revision of the Rovereto location’s truck tyre retreading operation. Marangoni Group ended 2011 with 7.9 million euros of losses, which are said to be mainly due to financial charges and the tax burden.
Continue ReadingMaxxis International, Kian Hon Tyres set up Asia TBR Education Centre
Maxxis International will partner its official Malaysian distributor, Kian Hon Tyres in establishing the new Maxxis Asia Education Centre for truck and bus radial tyres in Penang, Malaysia. The companies said they plan to offer leading-edge training programmes at the new centre. Maxxis said that Kian Hon was selected for this new venture because of the “remarkable performance and aggressive expansion plans for its retreading plant”. The Maxxis Asia TBR Education Centre will be housed at Kian Hon’s new building in Nibong Tebal, and feature “state-of-the-art infrastructure and first-class equipment”, Maxxis said. The collaborative effort will constitute a total investment of US$20 million and will create between 200 and 400 new jobs.
Continue ReadingNokian introduces Noktop Hakkapeliitta F winter trailer tread
Nokian has unveiled a new addition to its Noktop Hakkapeliitta line with a product it calls the market’s first winter tread for wide trailer tyres. The Noktop Hakkapeliitta F is designed particularly for commercial vehicles with low trailers in international operation especially in Nordic conditions. The tread is available for tyre casings in size 445/45R19.5.
Continue ReadingGT Radial introduces first bead-to-bead hot cure retread in Europe
The flagship European brand of GiTi Tire, GT Radial may have been selling truck tyres into European markets for less than half a decade, but it has come a very long way in a short space of time. In one of its major markets, the UK, the company believes it now holds third place in terms of market share, saying that it now outstrips big players Hankook and Continental with upwards of 13 per cent of the country’s one million truck tyre unit sales. It believes it holds the global number four spot in the TBR segment. The latest step forwards – unveiled first at the CV Show in Birmingham and then to a wider European audience at Reifen 2012 in Essen, Germany – has been the introduction of the company’s REE Tread development, a hot cure retreading programme, with the GTR990 regional trailer pattern in size 385/65R22.5 representing GT Radial’s first commercial vehicle retread tyre. Significantly, the tyre uses the Chinese brand’s own made-in-China casings and is manufactured by “a renowned retreader located in the south-west of England”, in the company’s words.
Continue ReadingCould Europe witness a PCR retread revival?
A few years ago our March 2005 Retreading Special questioned the future of passenger car retreading in Europe after the decisions of Reif Reifen + Autotechnik GmbH and Nokian Tyres to exit the segment sounded a death knell for the industry. Despite this, a few companies have managed to cling on, but due to the huge rise in production of car tyres in so-called low-cost countries such as the Far East, retreads have struggled to compete at this end of the market. At the same time the trouble caused by the ongoing financial crisis has put pressures on businesses and consumers alike, with some markets such as the UK experiencing a sharp increase in the sales of part worn tyres. This in turn has led sections of the market to declare war on part worn tyres they see both as questionable in terms as safety and as a threat to the sales of better quality and higher value products. With all this in mind, Tyres & Accessories asks if there is a middle ground for passenger retreaders to occupy in the pressurised mature markets of Western Europe.
Continue ReadingB&J Rocket’s Airbot series enters production
B&J Rocket has begun manufacturing the successor to its worldwide established B&J RFBOT buffing tool. The Swiss company first presented prototypes of the new Airbot series at this year’s Reifen show in Germany, and it says customer feedback was enthusiastic; greater efficiency, considerably shorter buffing times and greater longevity due to better cooling were arguments that convinced visitors at the B&J Rocket booth and led to the first pre-orders.
Continue ReadingUK the pilot market for Hankook retreads
During the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Germany, Hankook UK sales director Barrie Horrocks shared with Tyres & Accessories that the tyre maker plans on launching its own bead-to-bead retreads in the first quarter of 2013, and the UK has been chosen as the pilot market for the new range. The retreaded products will be marketed under the ‘Hankook Alphatread’ name and will be initially available in three sizes that mirror new tyre patterns.
Continue ReadingRevamped Bridgestone retreading site focuses on fleet education
In spite of their numerous, verifiable benefits, retreaded tyres still battle against negative perceptions; some question their durability, while others hold them responsible for the strips of scrap tread, or “alligators”, seen on the motorway shoulder. In what it refers to as “an effort to set the record straight on retreads,” Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (BCS) has re-launched its US-based ‘Retread Instead’ website as an online campaign aimed at educating truckers and fleets on the value of extending tyre life.
Continue ReadingChina sets minimum targets for retreaders and waste tyre processors
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has introduced new policy guidelines covering the country’s retreading industry and waste tyre utilisation. These include directives regarding where a retreading facility may and may not be set up – no new retreading plants are to be established in environmentally sensitive areas – and also calls for greater consistency in the production process and with production equipment plus the implementation of product quality control systems and testing equipment in line with national and industry standards.
Continue ReadingSDS: Shearography remains the gold standard
With more than 400 tyre testing systems delivered in the last decade or so, SDS Systemtechnik has become closely associated with non-destructive tyre testing. While new testing technologies are being developed and try to establish themselves on the market, according to the company, shearography has proven to be something of a gold standard in the retreading and the new tyre industries.
Continue Reading
