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NEWS EXTRA
Spanish University Proves Benefits of Retreading
A recently released study into retreaded tyres, carried out at the University of Elche in Spain, has judged that the production and use of retreads can save energy and raw materials by between as much as 50 and 75 per cent, which in turn has a direct impact on the economies of the end users.
This has been reflected in a study on recycled tyres by the Chair for Research and Training, Miguel Hernández, at the University of Elche.
The report, which analyses the environmental performance of retreaded tyres produced in Spain, said that the manufacture of passenger retreads used on average “44.5 per cent less energy" than the manufacture of new tyres with similar characteristics.
This reduction equates to an average saving of 10.5 litres of oil per tyre.
For truck retreads and industrial vehicles, the energy saving obtained is 69.6 per cent, which equates to an average saving of 98.3 litres of oil per tyre.
Also, the production of retreaded car tyres has an associated emission 51.7 per cent less than those of equivalent new tyres, which results in an average reduction
of 32.8 kilos of CO2 released into the atmosphere.
For retreaded truck and commercial vehicle tyres, the average reduction is 69.1 per cent, which in absolute terms means avoiding emissions into the atmosphere of 234.3 kilograms of CO2 per tyre. The investigation also has an analysis that considers manufacturing costs associated with the materials and energy resources employed.
Saving energy and raw materials associated with retreading logically translates into a cost saving that ultimately affects the end consumer.
This cost saving compared to new tyres is estimated at an average of 47 per cent for car tyres and 76 per cent for truck and commercial vehicle tyres. According to the study, retreaded tyres have similar characteristics and comfort and meet "the same standards of safety as new tyres".
"Tyre retreading is therefore an environmentally and economically sustainable alternative that should be promoted," said the report, which has been drawn up in collaboration with several Spanish companies in this sector.
Leader Rubber Company Dakar Sponsorship
Leader Tread, a leading South African precure tread manufacture, along with 5 other companies, Broadlink, Grindrod, Emperors Palace, MTN and KTM, will be sponsoring two of South Africa’s top Enduro Riders, Darryl Curtis and Riaan Van Niekerk at the Dakar in 2013.
The Dakar Rally (formerly known as "The Paris–Dakar") is an annual Dakar Series rally raid type of off-road race for motor vehicles and motor bikes. Most events since the inception in 1978 were from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, but due to security threats in Mauritania, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 rally, the 2009 Dakar Rally was run in South America (Argentina and Chile). It has since stayed in South America from 2009 to the present and is open to both amateur and professional entries. Amateurs typically make up about eighty percent of the participants. Despite its name, it is an off-road endurance race, called a rally-raid rather than a conventional rally. The start of the race is in Lima Peru on 5th January 2013 and finishes in Santiago, Chile on the 20th January 2013. The terrain is ultra-tough and the total distance to be covered will be
around 9000kms.
The three major competitive groups in the Dakar are the motorcycle (moto) class (including quad bikes), the car class, (which ranges from buggies to small SUVs) and the truck class.
The KTM 450 Rally bikes that both Darryl Curtis and Riaan Van Niekerk will be riding are two of only about 50 bikes manufactured every year, and are made for one special reason only – to race the Dakar Rally.
Darryl and Riaan are multiple South African off road and enduro champions and are leading competitors in world championship extreme races like Red Bull Romaniacs, Erzberg Rodea, Hell’s Gate, The Tough One and the Roof of Africa. They recently competed in the Marrakech Rally in Morocco on rented KTM 450 machines and Darryl Curtis won the event.
Leader Tread is proud to be associated with these two phenomenal riders and wish them all the best in their attack on the Dakar in January 2013. For regular updates on their progress, you can log onto www.leadertread.co.za or www.darrylcurtis.co.za
OBO Adds to Sales Team
OBO Banden has announced a new addition to its sales team. The company is please to introduce Mr Björn Spiegel to strengthen the field sales team.
Björn Spiegel is 34 years old and
brings some 13 years of experience in the tyre industry with him. His role starts in October and he will be starting to arrange client appointments from day one.
features to MEMS, which provides mining operators with data about tyre usage conditions such as temperature and pressure.
Michelin says MEMS Evolution 2 "is a
Among the newly added functionalities is a new interface that enables real-time tyre monitoring for an entire vehicle fleet.
Michelin Upgrades MEMS
A little known fact is that Michelin’s MEMS has been under development for over a decade. Tyre Pressure monitoring was in use in mining trucks in North America at least 10 years ago, and even before the economic crisis Michelin was starting to push whole life tyre management in the mining sector.
This year at Minexpo Michelin launched MEMS Evolution 2. Michelin unveiled several updated
more high-performance, connected, efficient version of the original MEMS system." It uses a latest-generation TPMS sensor as well as new, improved system software.
The new version provides benefits including direct access to data regardless of where the vehicle is located in the mine; user-friendly interface for operators and data analysts; and wireless, more powerful software and communication system.
50 Retreading Business