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TIRE TECHNOLOGY EXPO
Ruud Spuijbroek
Conference at Cologne
Retreading in Focus at the Tire Technology Expo
manufacturers from the market place. Retreads are now widely accepted as a quality product and represent approximately 40 per cent of replacement truck tyres in Europe. However, future legislation (Labeling Directive COM 1222/2009) may draw truck retread production even closer to new tyre specifications when it is reviewed in 2015.
This could result in a ‘New Beginning’ for retreaded truck tyres, said Spuibroek.
BIPAVER (the Association of European Associations representing the interests of the independent SME retreaders) has therefore started to prepare for the eventuality that retreaded truck tyres could be included when a review of COM 1222/2009 takes place in 2015. If the exemption is removed truck retreaders would be expected to test their tyres in line with new tyre testing. With the approximate price for this standing at 5,000 Euros per tyre tested, the sudden imposition of a testing system in line with new tyres could spell the death knell for many European SME retreaders if the industry is not prepared to meet the challenge.
As a result BIPAVER decided to develop an algorithm, derived from tests carried out on a range of retread
sizes and patterns conducted under the conditions specified for new tyres. In combination with an existing truck (new) tyre database (wet grip, tyre noise and rolling resistance) the programme will provide a banding label. It will still be up to the retreader to ensure that the label produced meets his Conformity of Production as the system will become part of his 109 specifications.
The ReTyre project, which is now underway, is, says Ruud Spuijbroek, an ambitious project to allow the opportunity to incorporate retreaded truck tyres into the new tyre labelling legislation without imposing undue financial on smaller independent retreaders.
Also speaking at the seminar was Richard O’Connell of Bandvulc, who dealt with the subject of problems with Energy Saving Truck Tyres. According to O’Connell, many of Bandvulc’s customers have tried energy saving tyres but have experienced a range of problems including reduced wear, the tendency for tread chunking, reduced traction, confusing fuel consumption results and the fact
that if the tyre and fuel budgets are not controlled under the same budget there will be a conflict of
The retreading industry had a significant presence at the recent Tire Technology Expo in Cologne, Germany. RMA Director David Wilson hosted an extensive session on retreading, which was well attended. The title of the Seminar was “Tire Retreading – A New Beginning” and the session dealt with the legislative and technological developments that are currently taking place within the industry. Speakers included Richard O’Connell from Bandvulc Tyres, Ruud Spuijbroek from BIPAVER, Florian Fischer from VMI Group, Rainer Huber from Steinbichler, Bernward Maehner from SDS-Systemtechnik, Jacob Peled from Pelmar Engineering and Markus Gaida from Marangoni SpA. The subjects dealt with included the Retyre Project, problems with energy saving truck tyres, aircraft tyre retreading, developments in extrusion technology and the latest in shearography and tyre testing techniques.
The first speaker, Ruud Spuijbroek dealt with the Retyre Project, currently being carried out through
BIPAVER.
The transport industry, said Spuijbroek, has moved forward considerably in the last 40 years and trucks that were once ‘state of the art’ are now historic vehicles. They carry more weight, have higher horsepower, travel at higher constant speeds and have more efficient braking. It is therefore important that truck replacement components should be every bit as reliable as the type approved original.
Today’s technology, he added, has given the retreader the ability to manufacture retreads equivalent to new tyres, a fact which helps in today’s commercial climate, where the supplier is becoming legislated to give the purchaser more details about a product, prior to purchase, in order that he can make an ‘informed decision’.
The present guide to retread quality is the issue of ECE 109 to prove that a truck retread processor has procedures in place to produce a quality product. This system has worked well and had the effect of removing ‘non serious’