Retreading
At this year’s Reifen trade fair in Essen Germany, Kraiburg Austria will be demonstrating in what company representatives call “galactic style” that the firm has the right patterns, the right compounds and the best service for all retreading material requirements and applications.
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Despite a marked trend towards increased industrialisation, business remains good for medium-sized retreaders in Germany. A good example of the companies within this segment, who promise quality through their own brands and have secured market position through a shift to higher-margin products over a number of years, is Respa GmbH. The retreader from Passau, near the border between Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, is today one of only a few remaining high-profile passenger car tyre retreaders in Germany, and the company has established for itself a substantial market position in both the mould cure and precure retreading sectors. During a plant visit, Respa managing director Ferdinand Wenzl spoke with Tyres & Accessories about “an industry that is rich in variety.”
At present the Italian retreading market, following years of crisis, is experiencing a new birth. “From this and the coming years we expect that industry will recognise retreading in terms of its quality and its utility to the market,” comments Brenno Benaglia, vice-president of the Italian retreading association AIRP (Associazione Italiana Ricostruttori Pneumatici) and the European association Bipaver.
Mexican supplier of rubber materials for retreading, Galgo has announced the installation of a new internal Farrel Banbury F270 mixer. The US-manufactured mixer will allow the company to obtain fully consistent blends with the better dispersion of carbon black in a quicker mixing time, according to the company. Galgo supplies Pre-Q treads, cushions in different forms, and extrusion and strips for a variety of rubber products for different uses and applications.
Five years after Tyres & Accessories last toured Bridgestone’s retread manufacturing facility in Bourne, Lincolnshire, the development plans the firm envisioned then can now clearly be seen in action. Equipment upgrades, process enhancements and the evolution of the company’s corporate philosophy mean the company has been further [re]moulded – if you will – into the broader Bridgestone/Bandag pattern, while at the same time offering the production flexibility the local market requires.
Just recently Italian firm Gomme Piave, which specialises in the retreading of OTR tyres, celebrated its 50th anniversary. And despite the uncertainties the industry has faced during this time the company maintains its dedication towards innovation. “When retreading first emerged in the 1950s Italy developed into one of the leading countries in this sector, and this tradition remains strong to this day,“ shares Giomme Piave’s owner Augusto Favaro. “There is no other country in Europe that can boast having these specialised competencies to such an extent.”
Some 2.3 million truck tyres are currently sold in South Africa each year, with the market fairly evenly divided between sales of new tyres and retreads. Competing in the retread market are numerous familiar global names such as Bridgestone Bandag, Michelin and Goodyear Dunlop, yet one of the longest established retreading sector firms is local player Leader Tread. The Johannesburg-based company has been in the business for almost half a century and in recent times awareness of its products has also increased outside of Africa. In February, Tyres & Accessories spoke to Leader Tread managing director Brett Sproson and gained an insight into a company that is active and growing in all areas of the retreading and retreading materials market.
Michelin North America is using this week’s Mid-America Trucking Show to debut the new Michelin X Multi Energy D drive tyre for regional and emerging super regional applications. The SmartWay-verified tyre delivers enhanced fuel efficiency, optimised traction and long tread life to provide significant value and performance, the tyre maker said.
As of September the use of part-worn passenger car and motorcycle tyres will no longer be permitted in the United Arab Emirates. This decision was announced by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA) on 15 March as part of a range on measures intended to regulate the whole tyre life cycle.
Following the rebrand/establishment of Marangoni Retreading Systems Deutschland in September 2011, the German part of the Italian retreading company confirmed plans to virtually double output at the end of January 2012. The specific purpose of the investment is to double ringtread production capacity in Hamburg.
Vipal – the leading Brazilian company in South America and one of the largest retreading and repair material manufacturers in the world – has shared details of its exhibit at this year’s Reifen 2012 show which will be held in Essen, Germany, from 4 – 8 June. In short Vipal will present three new designs of pre-cured treads.
Indian agricultural, off-road, speciality tyre and pre-cured tread manufacturer, Malhotra Rubbers Ltd has announced plans to launch a radial agricultural tyre product range this year.
“2012 shall be an exciting year from us as our whole team is gearing up to launch of our radial agricultural tyres for the European and US markets”, said company director, Monit Malhotra. According to Malhotra these will be marketed through their exclusive customers In Europe and USA.
As of April 2012, Continental and Marangoni Group will hand over the promotion and sales of ContiTread pre-cure treads to Continental Tyre Group Ltd in the UK and Ireland. Commenting on this move, commercial marketing manager Tracey Hyem said “the addition of ContiTread to our core sales offering, further underlines Continental's commitment to the ContiLifeCycle concept. Customers will now have one contact for all elements of ContiLifeCycle, and can rely on comprehensive advice to help reduce costs through better fuel consumption and longer tyre life.”
Until 2015, retread tyres are outside the remit of labelling Regulations 1222/2009 and 1235/2011, but at the recent Tire Technology Expo in Cologne, Germany, Bipaver secretary, Ruud Spuijbroek presented the progress the organisation has made – and hopes to continue to make, if adequate funds are available – in what it believes could be “a new beginning” for small and medium enterprise (SME) truck tyre retreading, with labelling its catalyst. Bipaver used the event to explain in full the current details of its “Re Tyre” project, with the latest decision from Brussels on the future of the scheme to follow in the next month or two.
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