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COMPANY PROFILE
Pioneers, Leadership, Quality:
Vipal Celebrates 40 Years of Success
segments. To attain the excellence demanded by the market, Vipal has invested in cutting-edge technology in cold vulcanisation in Brazil, and over the years has developed exclusive machines and systems for testing and adapting the products to the most diverse markets.
Among the leading products for tyre retreading developed by Vipal
is Precured Tread. The tyre tread is the part of the tyre that comes in contact with the ground, made through a rubber compound that offers expressive resistance to wear. Vipal offers a vast line composed of
offers advanced studies that Vipal maintains in Nova Prata, and Vipaltec, a test laborator y accredited by a competent government agency in Brazil (INMETRO) since 2007, which provides its services to the entire tyre segment. In parallel, Vipal anticipates tyre market trends, adjusting products prior to all future regulations, as shown in the case of the INMETRO directive 544, which determines tyre certification in relation to adherence on wet surfaces, the level of noise emission and energy efficiency. The Vipal ECO precured tread, the brand’s
The Fiera di Santana plant
The Nova Prata plant
It all began with a dreamer, when the son of Italian immigrants, Vicencio Paludo, along with his enterprising son, sowed the first seeds of what would become Grupo Vipal. Founded in 1973, in the city of Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul, Borrachas Vipal initiated its activity as a small factory for repairing tyres and tube products and soon
became one of the most important manufacturers for retreading tyre products, transforming Brazil into a global benchmark in technology and innovation, and celebrating its
40th anniversary in 2013. Borrachas Vipal is one of the giants of the rubber market. The absolute leader in Brazil and Latin America and one of the most important global producers of retreaded tyre products, it is currently headed up by the third generation of the Paludo family, through the leadership of Daniel Paludo, the son of Arlindo Paludo, president of Grupo Vipal.
Expressive structure
With 3,000 employees, Vipal has two manufacturing plants in the city of Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana, in Bahia, totaling around 160,000 m2 of manufacturing and distribution facilities in Brazil. Furthermore, Nova Prata is also home to the company’s cutting- edge technology cenre. Combined, these factors make Vipal a premium company in the tyre retread market. With diversified businesses, that range from plastic moulding, with BR Plásticos, to financial services, with Vipal Bank, and a partnership with Argentine-based Fate for new tyres, Borrachas Vipal is the group’s core business: tyre retreading. It is within this niche that Vipal best demonstrates its quality, pioneering and sustainability, producing a complete mix of solutions in products and services.
46 Retreading Business
Tyre retreading
Across the global market, tyre retreading plays an important role in economic, social and environmental sustainability. It is in this sense that the practice of tyre retreading reveals the DNA of Vipal, in view of the unmatched contribution of retreading to the environment.
Data shows that, in
relation to a new
tyre, each retread tyre represents savings of an average 57 litres of petroleum. The same is true for electricity, as retreading fosters a reduction of 80 per cent in energy and raw materials in relation to the production of new tyres. Furthermore, the process makes a retread tyre up to 60 per cent cheaper than a new one, while ensuring the same performance and durability.
Numbers also show that, in Brazil alone, there are around 1,500 companies associated to tyre retreading services, totaling around 5,000 micro and small companies and generating some 205,000 jobs. This overview ranks Brazil second in the global market, behind only the United States. Each year, the sector generates around USD 1.8 billion (BRL 4 billion), spread across tyre repair, raw materials and equipment.
Currently, 2/3 of the cargo-vehicle tyres in use are retreaded, with this system used by 84.6 per cent of transport companies. Each year, the production of retread tyres totals 7.7 million truck and bus tyres, 8 million car tyres and 300,000 aimed at the agriculture and off-road
diverse patterns to cater to different types of terrain, routes and vehicles. As vehicles may circulate on paved terrain, as well as gravel or mixed surfaces, the application of the correct tread results in greater durability of the tyre, investment optimisation and safety while driving.
Another highlight is the innovative and pioneering ECO precured tread, which, besides saving fuel, preserves the environment. The technological advance of ECO treads is produced with special rubber compounds and exclusive designs that ensure less resistance in use, lower fuel consumption and greater mileage. The ECO tread is a product that goes beyond savings with retreading, as it also contributes to the environment, resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent.
Cutting-edge Technology
This entire technological standard is included in the company’s range of processes. Starting with the Vipal Research and Technology Centre (CPT), a high-tech laboratory that
exclusive and pioneering technology launched in 2009, is guided by the concept of fuel savings and aligned with these regulations seven years prior to the requirement coming into effect.
Sustainability
Sustainability is at the heart of Vipal, which is clearly shown in all of its actions, whether environmental or social, at the company or in the the communities where it operates. An example of this is the projects developed through Vipal Instituto Social (Vipal Social Institute), such as Bom
Aluno (Good Student), Vale a
Pena (Worthwhile) and Aprendiz em Foco (Focus on the Apprentice), in addition to aiding a number of charity institutions in six states of Brazil.
The sustainable DNA of Vipal is in its actual infrastructure. Located on an area of 608,000 m2, with a built area of 62,000 m2, the manufacturing facility in Feira de Santana is an example of a plant geared towards environmental practices. With around 1,000