Retreading
Vipal will exhibit its latest VL140 heavy duty pre-cure trailer and super single tread from Hall 10 Stand C32. The Brazilian retreading material supplier has taken its products to numerous trade shows already this year, including its home show, Pneushow-Recaufair , at the Expo Center Norte in São Paulo.
After almost half a century with Vacu-Lug, Alan Setchfield is retiring. Having begun his career as a yard boy in Grantham’s already long established tyre remoulding plant on 2 May 1966, aged 17, Setchfield can look back on a 48-year career, rising through the company. “I’ve enjoyed the journey and made many friends along the way,” he said, “But don’t worry, there’s plenty of tread left on this tyre for many miles to come!”
Singapore-based Stamford Tyres has officially opened its new £15 million Commercial Tyre Centre and warehouse at its headquarters in Jurong. The company says this new complex supports its existing facility at the site and will have a staff of 85 people. The all-new centre was constructed at a cost of £12.2 million, while a further £2.8 million has been invested in equipment, including six service bays for trucks offering ‘full life cycle’ facilities along with eight loading and unloading container bays.
Reifen 2014 organiser Messe Essen says preparations for this month’s trade fair are in “full swing” ahead of the show’s opening on 27 May. As of the start of May, 660 exhibitors from 44 countries have signed up for Reifen 2014, with oversees exhibitors accounting for around 70 per cent of the companies with a presence at the Essen show. Messe Essen says than China is the best-represented country in terms of exhibitor numbers, followed by Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the USA. In regards to visitors, Messe Essen is expecting members of the tyre and related trades from some 130 countries to visit Reifen 2014.
Kraiburg Austria reports that it will be both celebrating five decades of history as well as present its latest products when it appears at the 2014 Reifen exhibition in Essen, Germany. Situated in the company’s now familiar location in the Galeria, Kraiburg will be showing a new and slightly larger stand.
Marangoni Commercial & Industrial Tyres, which manages the group’s direct retreading business often through the Marix brand backs geolocation as an innovative tool for improving efficiency in sales and service.
For an organisation like Marangoni Commercial & Industrial Tyres – which covers the whole of Italy and comprises agents specialising in the sale of tyres for industrial applications (specifically truck and earthmover tyres), as well as in the selection and collection of casings – efficiency and response to customer needs are critical success factors.
Business within the European retreading market is being subjected to centrifugal forces. While the tyre majors who supplement their new tyre portfolios with mould cure retreaded lines increasingly monopolise the growing premium segment, the budget segment is also enjoying growing attention. Competition is stiff in both segments and mid-range suppliers find themselves under increasing pressure, and as a consequence are striving to reposition and – particularly on the flanks of their markets – more broadly position themselves. The latest company to introduce a clear multi-brand strategy is Bridgestone Bandag. Its “premium Bandag retreading brand” will retain its strong position at the upper end of the market, and has been joined by a new product line for the budget market: “Protread by Bandag”. Speaking with Tyres & Accessories, the company outlines its plans and motivations.
Pirelli has heavily invested in the commercial vehicle tyre segment for a number of years now. This investment has covered the development of technologically-advanced tyres and the company’s outstanding fleet segment service portfolio. The overall aim is to minimise vehicle operating costs, which today represents the central criterion for companies needing to mimimise cost per mile in order to remain competitive within their respective markets. Following this logic, retreading naturally plays an increasingly strategic role.
Not many companies operating in the OTR tyre business either locally or further afield are very happy at the moment. While the manufacturers of new tyres in particular must contend with substantial losses and respond to the weak market with discounts, retreaders – as is often the case – occasionally benefit from the situation. The global mining sector has especially suffered as a result of sinking raw material prices, a phenomenon that in turn has directly influenced the production of and consequently the demand for tyres; in contrast, the construction sector has lately shown signs of stability in Europe. Nevertheless, it is important for companies within this market segment to adapt to conditions. With this in mind, in recent months Rösler Tyre Innovators has made several important decisions.
This year, Kraiburg Austria has launched a new in-house developed trailer pattern and also supplemented its existing patterns with additional sizes. The new trailer tread is now available as the K 800 in the K_Base range, as the KLT 1 in the K_plus line-up. The new tread is initially available in 287mm and 295mm widths and will be joined by 305mm and 320mm widths in the middle of the year. The retreading specialist says the K800/KLT1 is ideal for local and long-haul applications on semi-trailer, trailer and towed axles.
Bridgestone has been looking to increase its truck and bus tyre market position via strategic retreading acquisitions in this part of the European market for around a decade now. One such acquisition was the targeted purchase of Lincolnshire-based Bulldog remoulds back in 2005. A little more than a year later this key part of the UK market which specialised in mould-cure retreads was joined by the entire global Bandag operation, which of course specialises in pre-cure franchising around the world. The two operations couldn’t be more different aspects of retreading, however while the acquisitions came in quick succession and the benefits of both are obvious, Bridgestone has now spent years working through the integration of both into its wider business model.
Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres, the Grantham-based commercial tyre remoulding specialist, has been awarded OHSAS 18001 status. This BSI certification for Occupational Health and Safety Management supplements the company’s two existing accreditations for quality and environmental management. Upon announcing its OHSAS 18001 accreditation, Vacu-Lug noted that it is the first retreader in the UK to hold all three standards, and as such the company has “set a new benchmark for the industry.”
Continental Tire the Americas reports that it has signed up its first retreader in Canada. Montreal area retreader Pneus et Rechapage Uni has become the first retreader in the country to obtain a license for ContiTread brand flat pre-cure treads, and will now supply authorised Continental truck tyre dealers throughout Eastern Canada with ContiTread retreads.
UK truck tyre wholesaler International Tyres has secured an exclusive agreement to introduce the Riken brand of truck, bus and coach tyre into the UK. According to the company, the UK introduction of the brand (which is part of the Michelin-produced stable of products) has been fuelled by “strong demand for mid-range products”.
Bandvulc Group has rebranded its operations; the Devon-based company has made subtle changes to its logo and introduced a new slogan, ‘More than a tyre’. In addition, it has renamed Devon Rubber and Bandvulc Tyre Contracts – these are now known as BV Mixing and BVPlus+ respectively. Last but not least, Bandvulc has redesigned its website to reflect these changes. The company will display its new brand image at the CV Show between 29 April and 1 May.
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