Retreading
Marangoni Retreading Systems has announced a price increase in all European, Middle Eastern and African markets for its entire range of retreading materials. The increase, effective as of 15 February, will be approximately 10 per cent for standard products and 15 per cent for high performance products with high natural rubber content.
The rebranding of Qualitread retreading products in Europe under the Bridgestone brand name continues in January with the renaming of the M729 drive tread and R168 trailer tread as Bridgestone Retread products. In April the Qualitread M729 EVO regional drive tyre will also join the Bridgestone Retread line-up.
The Retread Tire Association (RTA), formed following Harvey Brodsky’s departure from the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, reports the addition of another 12 members to its ranks. New member companies include: AME International, Black’s Tire Service, Frasier Tire Service, Jirah Inc., Malerba’s Consulting LLC, Purcell Tire, Tesla Electronics and Tire Stamp, all US-based. New from Canada are Kirk’s Tire and West End Tire, while Earthmover Tyres of Scotland and Makepeace Agencies from Australia also have joined.
Before Christmas Bandvulc Tyre Contracts (BTC) the tyre management division of the Bandvulc Group recently hosted a conference for its group of Key Independent dealers working in partnership with BTC. According to the company, the focus of the event was to outline its performance during 2010 and advise of its plans and objectives for next year.
BTC reports that its turnover is already in excess of £30 million and has expansive plans for the year ahead. Opening the conference, Patrick O’Connell, group managing director, welcomed all to the event and outlined corporate plans and concerns with tyre and commodity prices along with stressing the importance of service delivery and maintaining quality in every aspect.
Michelin North America has announced price increases on its OTR and industrial tyres plus its Oliver retreading tread stock. Prices for replacement earthmover and industrial tyres sold in North America will rise by as much as seven per cent as of February 1. Oliver and MegaMile branded tread stock saw increases of up to seven per cent as of January 3.
In recent months, Marangoni Retreading Systems has taken on a number of new partners in the Middle East and signed agreements with a number of important retreaders within the region, including Al Zahem Industries in Kuwait. Through this particular contract, Marangoni Retreading Systems has been able to enter the Kuwaiti market with the backing of the experience and skills possessed by the country’s sole retreader.
Brisa, the Turkish joint venture company owned by Bridgestone and the Sabanci Group, has agreed to purchase Bandag’s Turkish operations for US$3.6 million. The company says this move provides Brisa with a “cost-cutting advantage” to the logistics sector and will increase the quality of service it can offer. The acquisition was made by the purchase of 7,508 shares in Bandag Lastik Mamülleri Ticaret Limited Şirketi; the transaction is subject to the usual legal approvals.
The Marangoni Group has announced that it will use the Marix brand – until now reserved for car, off-road and light commercial vehicle retreads – to represent all products made at the factory in Rovereto (Trento), the second biggest retreading production site in Europe. Retreads for trucks and earthmoving machinery will therefore now also be branded Marix by Marangoni.
Wilhelm Schelkmann (94), the inventor of the pre-cure tyre renewal process, invited Paul Rösler Sen. (69) to his villa in Mallorca, where the two friends discussed how the pre-cure process (especially when used for 63” tyres) was evolving under Rösler Groups’ guidance. Rösler had a lot of news to share, including the renewal facilities completed in Australia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Uzbekistan.
A further retreader has joined Marangoni Tread North America’s Ringtread dealer network. Arizona based Coyote Tire Retreading, an established firm that services commercial, government and private fleets throughout its home state, has thus added the Italian manufacturer’s splice-less retreading system to its operation. “The Ringtread system will be a top consideration for schools, OTR fleets, and other applications that want superior mileage, improved fuel economy and the reliability that is built into this product” said Coyote Tire Retreading owner Don Woodmansee. “Additionally, the level of support from MTNA is unmatched by any of our previous suppliers.”
Following the occurrence of what it calls as “recent events”, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) has publicly reiterated its “complete, ongoing support” for the Board of Directors, staff, and members of the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB). In a letter sent to TRIB, TIA executive vice president Roy Littlefield stated “we know that this has been a time of great change within TRIB, but we are confident that the recent decisions made by the TRIB Board of Directors were reached through a careful, deliberative process and will result in TRIB being an even stronger, healthier organisation that is well-poised to take on the challenges facing the retreading industry.
The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau has moved to a new address, and can now be found at Suite 15, 591 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove, California 93950-2662 USA. All correspondence with the retreading organisation should now be addressed to recently appointed managing director David Stephens at david@retread.org.
Bridgestone Corporation's subsidiary Bridgestone Bandag Manufacturing (Thailand) Co Ltd has held its opening ceremony, marking the completion of Bridgestone's newest manufacturing plant located in the Chonburi Province of Thailand. The plant will produce precure tread, which will be supplied to the growing retread markets in Japan, Asia and China. The new facility is expected to have a production capacity of 30 tons per day by the end of 2013. It is the first precure tread facility the Bridgestone Group has built since acquiring the US-based retread operating company, Bandag Inc, in 2007.
The Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau has appointed David Stevens, 42, as its new managing director, reports Tire Review. Stevens will replace interim managing director Marvin Bozarth, who had filled the role after the TRIB board of directors dismissed long-time managing director Harvey Brodsky on 5 October. Stevens’ appointment was unanimously agreed upon by the board, which had been searching for a new managing director for the last few weeks, incoming TRIB board president Bob Majewski told media during a press conference Wednesday at the Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show.
Singapore based global tyre and wheel distributor Stamford Tyres has confirmed attendance for the next Automechanika Middle East in 2011. The exhibition, which takes place from 7 – 9 June at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre has added a range of product profiles to its Tyres section, which now has its own dedicated hall at the event. These include: Tyres (passenger, truck, bus, trailer); Tyres (OTR, Agricultural, Industrial/TBR); Rims, Tubes and Casings; Tyre Repair Material, Patches, Retreading Material and Equipment.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
