Retreading
European fleet operators wishing to equip their vehicles for safer winter operation can now obtain Michelin’s XFN 2 Antisplash in size 385/55 R22.5 TL. This front steer-axle tyre is part of Michelin’s ‘X Grip’ portfolio of cold weather tyres and is intended for multi-purpose use on long-distance routes plus national and regional roads. The XFN 2 Antisplash bears the M+S symbol and is suitable for year-round operation.
As of the beginning of this week tyrepress.com has a new partner website delivering the latest tyre business news in Italian, PneusNews.it. Describing itself as “the new online magazine for information, documentation and analysis dedicated to the tyre and wheel in Italy”, PneusNews.it comes from the company internationally renowned for producing Neue Reifenzeitung and reifenpresse.de, a magazine and website dedicated to the German-speaking market, and Tyres & Accessories and your current website tyrepress.com for English-speakers across the world. All three products have market-leading e-Newsletters providing cutting-edge news updates.
Marangoni Retreading Systems has announced that it will implement its third price increase this year on the tread rubber tyre retreading materials (and related products) it sell to the tyre retreading industry. According to an official statement published on 3 August, the prices will be increased by up to 12 per cent with immediate effect in Europe. Marangoni’s management said the increase is due to “sharp rises in the prices of raw materials.”
Bridgestone and its exclusive distributor in Oman, Towell Auto Centre LLC, have jointly opened a Bandag retreading facility near the capital city Muscat. The plant, located in Mabella, has the capacity to retread 26,000 tyres per annum. Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE president Shoichi Sakuma indicates that approximately $1.5 million has been invested in the facility. “This is our fifth retread facility in the region,” Sakuma commented. Bandag also operates plants in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The new factory will, in accordance with local regulations, restrict its retreading activities to commercial vehicle tyres for 20-inch and larger rim sizes.
In this final category only two companies – Credential Environmental and DME Tyres – survive from last year's finalists and they are joined by previous winners Kingpin Tyres, Envirotyre and Hardings Vans, a company providing a localised service. I said final category, however, it is worth noting that the NTDA's "Innovation Award" will be presented on awards night too. But seeing as the nominations for this haven't been published yet, the Environment Awards counts for the last category in our coverage. Click more for the nominations.
The Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Northern Ireland Environment Agency are working together on new legislation affecting the tyre industry. They have chosen Brityrex as a major platform for an important tyre trade campaign to raise awareness about the new legislation covering the chemical make-up of tyres and retread rubber.
With effect from the beginning of January this year new European REACH legislation states that extender oils shall not be placed on the market, or used for the production of tyres or parts of tyres if they contain more than the threshold limits of PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon). The restrictions also apply to the marketing of tyres and treads for retreading.
Last night saw the celebration of Dunlop Aircraft Tyres’ Centenary take place in earnest following an open day and a visit to the company’s Fort Dunlop plant by The Duke of York, with the launch of a new commemorative book, the premiere of a film by artist Angus Boulton commissioned to celebrate the centenary and the introduction of a new corporate video. The venue for the prestigious occasion was The Wapping Project, London’s last Hydraulic Power Station, now regenerated as a post-industrial exhibition space and restaurant by Australian theatre director, Jules Wright.
Brityrex newcomer Profil Tyres is a Polish-based company that manufactures and wholesales a wide range of retreaded car tyres. When the company was founded in 1984, the company’s workshop produced 1000 tyres a month. By the turn of the millennium an up and until 2008 this figure had risen to 24,000 tyres a month. According to the company, this significant production growth followed a programme of investment aimed at upgrading production technologies so the company could attain “the strictest quality control.”
As far as machinery upgrades are concerned, this investment phase saw the company acquire retreading equipment manufactured by some of the best known names in the business including: Mateuzzi, CIMA, CISAP and AMF. As a result the company is now able to run a 24-hour system five days a week.
At its annual general assembly in June, members of the European retreading association BIPAVER elected a new presidium. Taking over the reins as president is former vice-president Jan Driessen, from VACO in the Netherlands. Former president, Italy’s Brenno Benaglia (AIRP) now serves in the capacity of vice-president, and Portugal’s José Silva Gomes, from the ANIRP, has been appointed second vice-president. The BIPAVER offices remain, as before, in the premises of the Dutch tyre organisation VACO.
A recent article written by Joel Mayor Loran and published by the Granma and Periodico publications in Cuba gives a fascinating insight into the workings of the country’s National Rubber Company – Poligom. According to the article, which is entitled “How to Save a Million Dollars” the Cuban retreading operation has been facing a scarcity of raw materials and retreadable casings.
The Poligom National Rubber Company reportedly runs five factories specialised retreading work, which retreaded 56,900 tyres in 2009. However, the lack of stability in the supply is said to have affected plans to increase production to 90,000 in 2010. In the year to 10 June the retread companies located in the municipality of Cotorro in Havana City, in the central province of Las Villas, and in the eastern provinces of Camaguey, Holguin and Santiago de Cuba received 34,000 casings, 6,000 less than expected.
Vipal said one of the company’s highlights for Reifen 2010 was its new range of treads. Branded ECO, they form part of Vipal’s “Transport Sustainability Project”. These products, claims Vipal, go far beyond the savings from retreading: they also contribute to a cleaner environment and benefit the transport industry. ECO treads are designed to decrease rolling resistance, thereby decreasing fuel consumption, and raising mileage performance.
With Shanghai's CITExpo 2010 fast approaching, Wilko Fong – managing director of event organiser Reliable International Exhibition Services – gave a question and answer session covering the make-up of the show's exhibitors, its visitors, the focal theme of this year's show, and related events such as the massive Shanghai Expo 2010 and the Automotive Testing Expo, which takes place in the week following CITExpo in Beijing.
Switzerland’s B&J Rocket Sales AG says its I-Beam spacers have gained a remarkable reputation for durability and reliability in the industry and thus over the years have become a top seller. Thus it comes as no surprise that B&J Rocket has developed the concept further; the company has now introduced the next generation I-Beam spacer, the Alu I-Beam Air spacer. B&J Rocket says this new product provides more cooling and a longer lifetime.
Speke, UK-based wholesaler Kirkby Tyres has announced the latest additions to its earthmover tyre range, including new, larger and more specialist sizes under the Alliance, Double Coin and BKT brands. Alliance has released a new wide-based radial in the 650 design used on Loaders/Dozers and Graders. It is available in sizes ranging from 20.5R25 to 26.5R25, inclusive. Ilan Goldstone commented: “This tyre has been designed with a compound that has exceptional wear and an all-steel casing for superior durability and puncture resistance – it’s a very popular tyre. As well as the tyres we also have off-the-shelf EM wheels, as well as being able to provide bespoke specifications when necessary.”
It’s been on the market here since 2004, but for our neighbours on the other side of the pond the Michelin X-Traction earthmover tyre range is so new you can still smell the factory-fresh rubber. The first offering in the range, a size 27.00R49 tyre, will be introduced into the North American market on July 1. This initial size will be followed up by a size 24.00R35 variant in September and two 33-inch fitments next year.
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.
