Retreading
Previously known as Continental Tire North America, the new name for the passenger, light truck and commercial vehicle tyre divisions in the region is now Continental Tire the Americas LLC. The change was made to better reflect the growth of the tyre maker in both North and South America, the company said this week.
Movie deaths involving cars are nothing unusual. Be it driving into a canyon ('Thelma and Louise'), driving into other cars carrying sassy ladies (Quentin Tarantino’s quite horrible 'Death Proof'), or enjoying a crash a bit too much (David Cronenberg’s infamous twist on auto-erotica, 'Crash'), motoring fatalities have become a large and varied part of film history. But Quentin Dupieux, otherwise known as the French dance music producer behind ‘Flat Beat’ and its accompanying puppet Flat Eric, has filmed a twist we never saw coming: a slasher film in which the serial killer is – wait for it – a tyre. Named Robert.
A three-year deal for the supply of bias tyres will see Taiwan based Mandarin Airlines become the first customer to utilise Dunlop Aircraft tyres’ new distribution and retreading facility in China. Dunlop Taikoo (Jinjiang) Aircraft Tyres Company Limited will supply tyres for the airline’s fleet of eight E-190/195 twin-engine medium range jets.
Indag Rubber Ltd is India’s longest-established manufacturer of pre-cure tread rubber. The company has been engaged in the production of tread rubber and other retreading materials such as bonding gum, vulcanising solution and curing envelopes since 1982, and manufactures its pre-cure tread under the ‘Zoma’ brand name. Indag also produces un-vulcanised rubber strip gum, universal spray cement and envelopes.
Marangoni Retreading Systems reports that, like all other producers, it has been impacted by the increases in raw material costs. The company notes that in recent months a reduction in global production and growing demand from Asian consumers has led to a steep rise in natural rubber prices, overcoming the peak reached in October 2008. Furthermore, adds Marangoni, the cost of other raw materials has increased due to the recovery of oil prices. A third said factor swelling costs is the introduction of a Europe wide law at the start of the year prohibiting the use of polyaromatic oils in the production of compounds.
Over a period of more than two decades, Germany’s Steinbichler Optotechnik has developed a reputation as worldwide leading supplier of high-performance shearography tyre inspection systems. More than 200 units (designed for the inspection of passenger car, light truck and aircraft tyres) have to-date been installed in tyre manufacturing and retreading facilities – from medium-sized, local enterprises up to international tyre businesses.
Lawlyn Vulcanising Systems manufactures a complete range of Lawlyn brand truck, tractor, grader and OTR repair systems. These items, manufactured at the South African company’s site in Alberton, south of Johannesburg, are used daily in the repair of tyres at the company’s Hlanganani Tyres subsidiary, an operation that has a number work stations working to the newly gazetted South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) approved OTR Repair and Retreading Standard.
On January 15 the first precure was manufactured at Rösler’s new retreading facility in Perth, Australia. The retread bearing the serial number RA 001001 was made on a 27.00R49 casing owned by Rio Tinto, and will go into service at one of their iron ore mines in Western Australia.
Vacu-Lug Traction Tyres has invested £150,000 in a latest-generation, twin-headed fully-automated buffing machine to ensure the greatest possible accuracy in the preparation of its retread tyre casings. Capable of working to a tolerance of one millimetre, the new Danish-built SI0 buffing machine is reportedly being used in the production of Vacu-Lug's Duramold range of premium quality retread tyres.
"Our new machine is fully computer-controlled and has been pre-programmed with data for every tyre in the Duramold range," said Vacu-Lug Plant Manager, Brian Barron. "Our casings typically require between two and three millimetres of rubber above the steel belt and this machine can achieve that with pinpoint accuracy. In practice, this enables us to work to the most exacting quality standards, with a perfect result every time for any retread tyre from 17.5-inch through to the largest super-single."
Visitors to Tyrexpo Africa in Johannesburg in early March will have more than 140 exhibitors to talk business with as they look to take advantage of exclusive brand opportunities with tyre suppliers and improve the efficiency of their businesses with the latest workshop equipment, consumables and services. According to the show’s organisers, the third staging of Tyrexpo Africa (4, 5 and 6 March 2010 at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC), Johannesburg) has experienced a late surge of exhibitor bookings taking the show to near stand space capacity.
Italian OTR retreading specialist Gomme Piave reports having been granted ISO 9001:2008 certificated through TÜV Austria. The company also states that from now on it can supply all tyres in its entire retread range with a treatment that protects the casing structure from the effects of hazardous substances, thereby making them particularly suitable for use in industrial waste disposal duties that pose a risk of oil contamination.
Vipal Europe has announced plans to increase the prices of its retreading materials and repair products by 10 per cent on 1 February 2010. According to the Brazilian-based company’s European manager, Alessandro Bottesini Campos, the increase is due to market conditions and adjustment of some raw material costs: “Like all other manufacturers Vipal Europe has been impacted by the increases in transport, energy and labour costs.” Vipal Europe’s price increase, applies to all European countries served by the company. Different price increases may apply to other “specific regions or products.”
The US recently imposed tariffs aimed at preventing Chinese manufacturers from dumping cheap tyres in the market, and now China faces its own dumping problems of a different nature – customs officials there report seizing more than 8,500 tonnes of smuggled waste tyres sent from the US. According to the General Administration of Customs, some 366 shipping containers filled with tyres arrived in the coastal city of Guangzhou via Hong Kong between December 2008 and February 2009, where they remained until their discovery in December 2009. Three suspected smugglers were subsequently arrested.
Vipal has launched a new logo for 2010. And, according to the company's launch announcement, "a new attitude is arising" along with the company's refreshed corporate identity.
New premium brand OTR tyres used in the mining and construction industries can costs as much as US$25,000 each, yet TRIB, the Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, reports a number of its members are able to produce retreads that fully match the hour/mileage performance of these products – for a price that is around 30 to 40 per cent less.
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