Bandag Now ‘Fully Integrated’ into Bridgestone
Speaking at last week’s Bridgestone Truck Point roadshow, Bridgestone UK retread sales manager Les Lawrence and Bandag UK sales manager Ross Medlyn explained the latest developments in the continuing process of integrating Bandag into Bridgestone. While everyone agrees that the process of integration remains an ongoing project, Ross Medlyn specifically described the two operations’ current status as “fully integrated.” What this means is that Bridgestone and Bandag products are already being sold side-by-side, with the two ranges evolving to reflect the influence of the merger. It is also representative of what is and will happen in other European markets.
Continue ReadingNew ContiTread Winter Pattern Launched
HDW Scandinavia is the new extreme winter pattern in the ContiTread range of precured tread strips, produced by Marangoni under a partnership cooperation with Continental. The line has been specifically designed for the needs of northern countries, where vehicles frequently travel on roads covered by snow or ice and where the temperatures are quite low for many months of the year.
Continue ReadingEuropean Conti Retreading Operation Newest TRIB Member
Continental Commercial Vehicle Tires Retread Europe has become the latest company to join the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). Upon announcing the division’s signing up, Christian Beindorff, Head of Operations Retread Europe for Continental, commented: “We are pleased to be a member of TRIB and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship between our organisations.”
Continue ReadingKraiburg Launches 70 and 80 Series All-Season Treads
Kraiburg Austria has launched two new treads - the K222 and KST2. Following the company’s K74 development, reportedly the first design with sufficient traction properties for the 60 series, Kraiburg has now designed an all-season tread for 70 and 80 series casings. Suitable for trucks and buses, the new all-season design is said to be able to offer extra grip in winter without comprimsing on wear or increasing rolling noise or fuel consumption. According to the company, this makes the K222 or KST2 “ideal for all applications in which the annual mileage is approximately the same as the running performance of the drive axle.”
Continue ReadingSnider Tire Opens MRT Retread Plant
North American retreader Snider Tire joined the Michelin Retreading Technologies (MRT) network of servicing dealers earlier this year. The company has now furthered its involvement with Michelin with the opening of an MRT truck tyre retreading facility in the town of Bluffton, Indiana. The new plant, which brings the total number of MRT facilities in the US to 81, will service two of Snider Tire’s ‘Tire and Retread Asset Control System’ (TRACS) locations: Bytheville, Arkansas, and Cambridge, Ohio. TRACS refers to Snider Tire’s cradle-to-grave tyre and retread solution for trucking fleet customers.
Continue ReadingMarangoni Makes Additions to Ringtread Winter Range
Marangoni has added two new lines to its Ringtread precure tread range – the Grip series 60 and 70 for central European climatic conditions, and the RSY397 for long distance driving in extreme conditions.
Continue ReadingVipal and Grumac Celebrate 5 Years of Partnership
In October of 2009 Vipal and Grumac completed five years of partnership. A UK-based company with more than 50 years of experience in the tyre and retreading business, Grumac has been the exclusive British repair material distributor Brazilian retreading material supplier Vipal since 2004. partnership."
Continue ReadingIndia’s Sundaram Industries Joins TRIB
Membership numbers at TRIB, the US based Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, are nudging the 500 mark following the joining of India’s Sundaram Industries. The TVS Group company was founded in 1943, and TRIB describes the firm as being one of India’s oldest and largest retreading companies and retreading industry suppliers, a company with a long history of service throughout the country. The company’s products include tread rubber, retreading machinery and retreading accessories.
Continue ReadingBandvulc Adds BDY3 to its Range
Bandvulc has added the BDY3, part of a new range of specialist construction tyres, to its portfolio. As you would expect for this kind of application, the new product’s compound has been formulated especially to withstand aggressive hard working applications where tear resilience is a pre-requisite. Furthermore the BDY3 features an aggressive directional pattern, offering a large 21.5mm tread depth for “exceptional grip on all surface conditions,” say company representatives. In addition, Bandvulc says the tyre is “proven to deliver mileage benefits when the environment permits.”
Continue ReadingVenezuelan Retreader Improsa Joins TRIB
Improsa, (Venezuela) has joined the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB), bringing TRIB’s membership to nearly 500 members in 50 countries. “TRIB continues to add members…TRIB is the only international retread industry association representing new tyre manufacturers, retreaders, suppliers to the retread industry and tyre repair companies,” said Harvey Brodsky, TRIB’s managing director.
Continue ReadingChem-Trend Release Single Application Curing Envelope Treatment
Chem-Trend recently launched a single application curing envelope treatment aimed at the retreading industry. Mono-Lube 2006 is designed to increase curing envelope life, while providing “easy release from the cured tyre.” A typical life for a tyre retread curing envelope is 40 – 60 tyres, however according to the Chem-Trend Mono-Lube 2006 can extend life by between 33 to 100 per cent. In addition to providing good release from a cured tyre, it also provides good slip, enabling accurate positioning over the next, uncured tyre.
Continue ReadingKraiburg Survey Finds Partners “Very Pleased”
The majority of Kraiburg’s partners are more than satisfied with their retreading materials supplier, according to a survey conducted by the Austrian based company. The survey questioned 30 key account customers in the European market. Topics such as service, products, package value and suggestions or criticism were discussed in personal interviews. Marks were awarded from 1 for very good to 5 for unsatisfied. The average total mark was 1.63. The Austrian company reportedly fared well in sales service, office and logistics departments (average mark 1.38) or availability and competence of the technical service (1.28). The same applies also to responses on the quality of the company’s cold and hot material (1.34 and 1.33 respectively).
Continue ReadingVacu-Lug Extends Nightfreight Contract
Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres Ltd has renewed its national distribution contract with leading specialist delivery business Nightfreight and further extended its scope to include work previously handled in-house. As part of the new deal Nightfreight has renewed its dedicated 12-strong Vacu-Lug trailer fleet, all of which are fitted with Vacu-Lug Duramold WRE2 super-single tyres. Nightfreight has also taken responsibility for the operation of two specialist crane-equipped vehicles, which offer a nationwide tyre delivery and collection service for operators of earth movers and off-road vehicles.
Continue ReadingTRIB, TIA Publish New Retreading Brochure
TRIB and the TIA have jointly published a full-colour, 16-page brochure designed to promote the better understanding of retreading. Including topics such as the safety of retreads and their environmental features, ‘Understanding Retreading’ will show – with illustrations – the six steps of the retreading process. It is available for purchase on request directly from TRIB head, Harvey Brodsky.
Continue ReadingUK Withstanding Truck Tyre/Retreading Downturn Well
Following a decade of steady growth in demand averaging 10 per cent, last October the financial and economic crisis pushed European retreading markets into a freefall. The largest decline was listed by market participants in the opening quarter of this year, and according to Marangoni demand for retreaded tyres in Europe reduced by a quarter. Yet at the same time, the market for new truck tyres dropped some 30 per cent. In the second quarter, demand was still some 15 per cent below that of the previous year, while the new tyre industry recorded sales a clear 25 per cent worse – another result reflecting the new tyre industry’s greater difficulties.
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