Page 23 - RB-60-12-1

COMPANY NEWS
Continental Tyres Gets Into The Groove With Retreads
The UK and Ireland’s retread tyre market has gained importance as operators look to manage ever- increasing operating costs. Currently the market remains steady at just over one million units sold in 2011 thus far, which is marginally up on levels achieved in 2010.
Retreads are just one way in which Continental is helping road transport operators reduce their running costs and over the past 12 months Continental has expanded its ContiRe range of retreads in a bid to mirror its new tyre range.
Grant Willman, Retread and Brand manager at Continental UK, said, “The initial benefit of a ContiRe truck tyre extends beyond the initial purchase cost. Apart from delivering similar performance with a new premium tyre, ContiRe retreads can be regrooved, saving an operator up to 25 per cent compared to a new tyre policy using the ContiLifeCycle approach.
“However, strict standards mean that not every worn tyre is suitable for retreading as the quality requirements set by Continental are extremely high. It is worth mentioning that if operators adhere to a tyre management policy they not only realise the benefits of reduced fuel consumption but also reduce the risk of damage to the casing for future use”.
The whole-life approach of Continental truck tyres, called ContiLifeCycle, begins with the new tyre but also encompasses the premium retread solution ContiRe and the regrooving of each. In short, ContiLifeCycle maximises the tyre‘s life span and therefore is an essential contributor to not only reducing tyre costs but energy costs associated with manufacturing.
Retreading is also an environmentally friendly solution as up to 80 per cent of the materials used to make a new tyre can be reused, plus less worn tyres need to be sent for disposal.
All ContiRe tyres are retreaded from bead to bead and the principal benefit is that the sidewalls are completely renewed. The same tread patterns and compounds are applied to the used casing giving the retreads
all the same high- quality characteristics as a brand new tyre. Tracey Hyem, Marketing Manager Commercial Products, said, “The market is not without its challenges and the dip in demand for new vehicles over the past two years
coupled with the rise in demand for cheaper and often un-retreadable tyres has lead to a shortage of casings.
This in turn has impacted on the availability of retreads in key market sizes, which has caused casing costs to rise. However, we expect to see more and more operators using retreaded tyres as part of their policy in future years.
Optimising fleet
efficiency is
paramount for any
road transport
operation and
Continental is able
to partner with
fleets to ensure they
receive the
maximum return on investment. Continental has expanded its
ContiRe range of retreaded tyres with the introduction of several new sizes and second-generation patterns and the range now features 33 different sizes and patterns in total.”
Further information:
Messe Essen GmbH
Phone: +49-(0)2 01-72 44-5 87/-3 94 · Fax: +49-(0)2 01-72 44-4 35 E-Mail: reifen@messe-essen.de · www.reifen-messe.de
More than 600 exhibitors from 40 countries