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21st Annual Tire Industry Conference

Clemson University will host the 21st annual Tire Industry Conference from 9 to 11 March at the Hilton Head Marriott Beach & Golf Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Tire Review has reported. The conference will focus on changing facets of the tyre industry and how tyre and automotive manufacturers and consumers are affected. Twenty presentations will be conducted by representatives from the tyre manufacturing industry, academics and government. The impact of the economy on the tyre industry, vehicle dynamics and how the industry is addressing tyre safety issues are other issues that will be addressed at the conference. In addition, tyre-monitoring technologies, retreading, scrap tyres and the safety of oversized tyres promise to be hot topics, according to the magazine.

14th February 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

More Than Just Products

Today, every company that wants to be successful in fleet business needs a lot more than just good products, nowadays that is just a prerequisite. Those responsible at Bandag Inc in Muscatine, Iowa, are convinced that the right service and the right network is even more important than the products. Bandag claims that it has both, and is trying to further integrate all of its 220 European dealers into a single global retreading network. In order to promote this policy, the company invited 20 of its dealers from around the UK and Ireland to visit its American headquarters.

Until recently, European Bandag dealers rarely had the opportunity to look around the franchiser’s corporate inner sanctum in Muscatine, Iowa. From here the company operates many of its unique facilities including its training centre. This £19 million centre opened just a few years ago and offers a range of educational opportunities within the ideal environment that is provided by the global Bandag family. A range of different courses are given, including classes on Bandag’s overall business model including its finance and management (divided in service, sales and production management). In addition to this theoretical instruction Bandag is making a big effort when it comes to practical ‘on-the-tyre’ training.

Therefore, when the training centre in Muscatine was built, Bandag incorporated a technical learning lab offering all the latest Bandag equipment. Instruction covers the whole process from the inspection of a newly delivered truck tyre to pre-cured retreading to the final inspection of the retreaded tyre. All of this is not only simulated, but actually carried out in Bandag’s learning facility.

While taking the tour through Bandag’s Muscatine learning centre, the Irish and UK dealers learned about the different options available for repairing a damaged truck tyre before it enters the retreading process.
Using a chearograph in connection with computer-based laser technology is one way of doing this and it can even save a Bandag dealer money in the long run, according to technical trainer, Frank Ortiz.

Many faults can be identified simply by carrying out a visual inspection, but if some kind of damage has slipped through the initial inspection and the dealer starts the retreading process only to find that the tyre was not in a fit state to start with, there are consequences.

Bandag would take it very seriously if any customer purchased a retreaded tyre from one of its dealers that was anywhere beneath the company’s high quality standards. Quite apart from quality control, there is also the question of money. By this point the dealer would already have spent a fair amount of money on the retreading process that he won’t cash in on if the end result is sub-standard. This is why Bandag recommends an in-depth initial examination of any that comes into a dealership for retreading.

Bandag’s UK dealers also received substantial training also on other machines like the “Buffer 8400”, the “Repair Station” or the “OSM 5400,” otherwise known as the ‘dragster’ because of its looks. However, the heart of the technical training facility is the curing chamber, where the actual pre-cure retreading process takes place. Visitors to the centre are allowed to take a tyre right through the retreading process, from first inspection to pre-curing itself. There is also the opportunity for discussion among experts and for the exchange of ideas for running the technical processes back in the UK

4th February 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Strengthens Retreading Activities

Bridgestone Retread Systems is relatively new to the retreading market, having entered the sector in the past year through a joint venture between Bridgestone and Marangoni/Ellerbrock. The idea behind the new company was to was to bring together and direct Bridgestone’s retreading activities in Europe from a central point; hence its location in Brussels. The joint venture with Marangoni Tread and its German subsidiary, Ellerbrock Tyre Retreading Technology, allows the Japanese manufacturer to cast its retreading net even further; and it can now offer its partners the support and assistance to gain the ECE 109 and the ISO 9001-2000 certifications.

31st January 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

The Condor Will No Longer Fly

Reiff Reifen & Autotechnik (Germany) gave up the production of retreaded passenger car tyres at the end of December 2004, because it was not making a good enough return on its investment. The Condor tyres it produced were a well-known brand and the Reiff manufacturing plant, built only five years ago, was considered the “most modern in the world.” What caused the degeneration of such a promising business model?

27th January 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Waste Not – Want not

The story of a successful industry initiative

The EU Landfill Directive prohibited the landfill of whole tyres from 1 July 2003 in all EU states and will ban the landfill of shredded tyres by 1 July 2006. Fortunately, however, the UK has a well-developed collection system and a diverse recycling infrastructure for old tyres when compared to many countries. Currently most of Britain’s tyres end up in some kind of beneficial re-use.

Britain’s motorists, hauliers and others collectively generate over 400,000 tonnes of waste tyres annually. Industry estimates suggest that at least three quarters of these are already re-used in some form or other. Some of the many ways in which tyres can be reused include as fuel, carpet underlay, recreational surfaces and in the form of granulates. In the truck sector retreading is a highly efficient re-use of a worn tyre. Using tyres as fuel for cement kilns is another way of re-using large quantities of tyres.

And there is considerable remaining capacity for the UK’s cement kilns to take additional tonnage. At the same time the number of new uses for old tyres continues to increase. The fact that tyres have a very high calorific value means, as a fuel, they are not dissimilar to coal. Furthermore, when burned as a co-fuel, tyres can improve the general combustion quality considerably.

For all of these reasons tyre manufacturers, with the help of the TIC’s Responsible Recycler Scheme, are confident that the UK will continue to meet the terms of this major EU directive. If there is a downside to this positive story it is that beneficial and responsible recycling comes at a price – albeit a modest one. However small though, it is a price that a few companies still seem unwilling to pay.

To promote some more robust standards in the collection and disposal of end-of-life tyres and to help eradicate the scourge of ‘fly-tipping’ and rogue operators, Tyre Industry Council launched its Responsible Recycler Scheme in late 1999 and although just five years old, this flagship initiative has come a long way in a short time. Though initially restricted to just tyre collection companies, it was quickly realised that the commonality of interests between collectors and reprocessers demanded that the Scheme’s remit be widened to include reprocessors as well.

Behind the formation of the scheme was the clear recognition that used tyre collection and re-processing were businesses which deserved recognition in their own right and which together had an important role to play in helping tyre manufacturers, retailers and indeed government itself to meet the EU Landfill Directive on used tyres. Those leading the scheme realised at an early stage that whether or not the concept of producer responsibility was introduced into the UK there was a need for collectors and re-processors alike to adopt concepts of “best practice” in response to the challenges ahead. That is why today the scheme puts great emphasis on its audit regime and believes it can demonstrate full traceability, something that is essential for maintaining a good reputation.

For the TIC, transparency, traceability and accountability are cornerstones of its scheme. Responsible retailers, fleet companies and other tyre users that work with scheme members are guaranteed that the tyres collected by the Responsible Recycler Scheme companies are disposed of in an environmentally friendly and acceptable method. Whether they are recycled or used as fuel in cement kilns, the Responsible Recycler Scheme helps its members comply with their duty of care obligations as well as protecting the environment.

As a measure of its success the scheme continues to grow and to attract international interest. From a single founder member in 1999, it now has reached a temporary ‘high’ of 22, with more applications in the pipeline. In fact such is the sense of purpose and collective professionalism that the scheme has engendered that its members elected to become a trade body in their own right, known as the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA). Apart from operating the Responsible Recycler Scheme, which is now a registered trade mark, on behalf of the Tyre Industry Council, the TRA will have the independent ability to pursue specific issues at both industry and government levels, generate performance data specific to its members businesses, as well as develop stronger international links right across Europe.

5th January 2005/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Dunlop expands FleetOnlineSolutions

Goodyear Dunlop’s pan-European internet-based tyre management system, FleetOnlineSolutions which was launched to truck and bus fleet operators late last year, has been expanded. The improvements that have been made include major functionality upgrades, web-based interactive reporting and intensive training, says the tyre manufacturer. There are now more than 3,500 contracted vehicles on the system, based in three countries. FleetOnlineSolutions utilises the internet and is accessible to the customer, contracted tyre service providers and Goodyear Dunlop. All details of a customer’s tyre contract are available via the secure FleetOnlineSolutions website which also handles all reporting, invoicing and stock ordering, related to contracts. This means that whenever a customer needs tyre-related work to be carried out, it is done exactly to the specification agreed in the contract. In other words, the service-provider works precisely to each customer’s individual tyre policy and pricing structure as originally agreed with Goodyear Dunlop.

20th December 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

George Marshall Dies

It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of George Marshall on December 15th 2004, aged 81.
George was well known in the tyre industry throughout the world, having edited Tyres & Accessories magazine since January 1971 and having been owner and publisher of the title from September that year until September 1987.
Having spent his early career running his own tyre retreading and retailing businesses, George had a thorough knowledge of the industry, both from a practical and political viewpoint. His achievements were many, having been instrumental in founding the Brityrex exhibition in the UK and its South African and Australian equivalents, Satyrex and Austyrex. George also played a role in the foundation of the Imported Tyre Manufacturers Association and the Tyre Wholesalers Association in the UK.
His lifetime spent in the tyre industry was recognised internationally, when he was honoured by the AMF (TEI) at Essen in 1986 and presented with the Industry Leadership Award by the American Retreaders Association in 1987. George received another accolade from the ARA when he was inducted into their International Tire Retreading and Repairing Hall of Fame in April 1995.
George Marshall was a striking figure, instantly recognisable and known to tyremen all over the world; he was definitely his own man, with his own ideas and some of these were not universally popular. Nevertheless, whether you liked him or not, or agreed with him or not, you could be sure that his views were honestly held. It is a mark of the man that those who he criticised in print will be as saddened at his passing as those who he counted as his friends.
As far as Tyres & Accessories is concerned, George was instrumental in rescuing what was a moribund trade magazine and building it up to become the best-respected journal in the industry, not just in the UK, but globally.
George leaves a widow, Edna, to whom Tyres & Accessories extends deepest sympathy; a sentiment no doubt echoed by George’s many friends in the worldwide tyre community.
But, as so often in the past, let George Marshall have the last word. Here is an extract from the last Editorial column that he wrote for Tyres & Accessories in September 1987. The article was entitled “It’s been a great 16 years!” and it sums up George Marshall’s life in tyres, as he wrote thus:
“Never in my wildest dreams did I, when I took over T&A, even think that I would see so many parts of the world and make friends and meet so many tyremen in so many different countries. Nor did I ever think I would become a public speaker at tyre functions around the world.
“I count myself as one of the luckiest men in the tyre industry for having been able to put back into it something it has given to me – a remarkably eventful and enjoyable life.”

George Marshall 1923 – 2004

16th December 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

More Than Just Products

Today, every company that wants to be successful in fleet business needs a lot more than just good products, nowadays that is just a prerequisite. Those responsible at Bandag Inc in Muscatine, Iowa, are convinced that the right service and the right network is even more important than the products. Bandag claims that it has both, and is trying to further integrate all of its 220 European dealers into a single global retreading network. In order to promote this policy, the company invited 20 of its dealers from around the UK and Ireland to visit its American headquarters.

16th December 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Nokian to Sell Car Retreading Business

Nokian Tyres Corp has announced that its tyre chain, Vianor AB, has signed a letter of intent to sell its car tyre retreading business to another Swedish company, Mac Ripper AB. The company has not disclosed any financial details pertaining to the deal. In a report published by the AFX news agency, Nokian suggested that Vianor sold the retreading business in order to concentrate on new car and truck tyre sales, tyres. Following the news of the sale, shares in Nokian tyres fell 1.63 per cent to 110.17.

13th December 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

International Exhibitors at ‘Tires & Rubber 2005’

The plans for next year’s “Tires & Rubber 2005” show in Moscow are currently running at full steam. The exhibition’s organisers expect there to be numerous exhibitors from Russia and abroad, showing their latest product innovations in tyres, wheels and retreading. Apart from domestic tyre manufacturers Sibur, Amtel, Tatneft and Matador-Omskshina many western companies are expected to exhibit and therefore help the show gain an ever more international reputation. The exhibition will be held from 1-4 February 2005, in Moscow’s Expocentr.

26th November 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Mario Marangoni Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The TIA has inducted Mario Marangoni into the TIA Hall of Fame. At the beginning of November, during the SEMA show, the TIA made the award in order to recognise the company president’s “leadership and entrepreneurial ability.” As a company, Marangoni sees the award as an achievement that recognises the success of the Italian tyre industry in addition to its international business.

17th November 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Outsourcing Tyre management – Can You Afford Not To?

With haulage up 45 per cent in the last 20 years, average vehicle journeys up and the pay load being carried by commercial vehicles at a record high, the need for fleet inspections and tyre maintenance is growing in importance, as ‘down-time’ is expensive. An external source can provide a manager with a better view on its fleet’s tyre needs and cost structure and will aim to offer new cost reduction possibilities and more effective means of utilising resources, but more importantly can provide close follow-up on a fleet’s tyre programmes that otherwise might not be maintained. Most fleet management programmes now offer audit and analysis programs that provide a tailor made recommendation according to a fleet’s specific situation, needs and tyre policy.

It is important for tyre management providers to maintain good relationships with fleet managers so that they can make sure they deliver both what the customer wants and needs and that the service isn’t driven by the single desire to sell new tyres. Most tyre management schemes offer a combination of services, regrooving, retreading and tyre replacement as well as follow-up and management systems, management reporting, preventative maintenance and 24 hour roadside assistance.

Tony Stapleton, fleet sales manager CES, believes that fleets need to understand their operating costs more effectively, so that they can exert proper control over them. “Many managers accept fixed cost contracts and the problem is it becomes an unmanned cost, they don’t know if the service provider is making more money by charging a set price per kilometre than they should be.”

Many tyre management providers would like to see the end to a fixed cost approach. “Price per kilometre has often been misused as a way of gaining tyre business by simply quoting a lower rate but this does not lead to sound long-term relationships,” says Continental. The company likes to view its system as an open book, rather than the closed book method of many of its competitors and whilst they offer ppk the company advocates a structure that is appropriate to the fleet’s real costs.

Mr Stapleton admits that there are a varying degree of fleet operators that want to get to know and understand the ins and outs of their tyre costs. The challenge, he explains, is getting to the finer details of the operator’s costs. However, he does believe that most fleet managers would agree that tyre choices are important. Whether they fully understand the ramifications of their choices is another matter.

Fleet operators do not always focus on identifying all of the cost elements concerning their tyres. There is a tendency to concentrate on the price of the tyre alone and to pay insufficient attention to the costs of service and administration. Likewise they don’t analyse the cost of tyre damage, and so find it difficult to rectify any problems.

There is a high expectation that tyre management automatically reduces costs, but this is not guaranteed. Unless an operator is already analysing tyre costs in some detail then the most likely outcome of a tyre management programme is that it will identify the true cost of tyres in the fleet, a sum that is often higher than was previously thought. Tyre management can aid valuable changes within the business through means such as simple casing management and auditing and regular review of a fleet’s performance. But even with the help of an external source it is still often a case of trial and error combined with expertise to get a fleets’ exact requirements right.

3rd November 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bandag to Supply Volvo Fleets

Bandag has announced that Volvo has selected it as its pan-European tyre-retreading partner. Under the new agreement, Bandag will supply retreads to Volvo Trucks workshops.

28th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Balancing the Bias Against Retreads

Bandag has released a new wide-single trailer tyre range. The BTE2 is based on a polyvalent tread that the company claims surpasses the performance of its predecessor, the Bandag BZAW(E).

27th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

On Course to Deliver

Brityrex International aims to deliver what its organisers, ECI International, promised from the beginning – an exhibition dedicated to the tyre and related industries.

26th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors