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NEWS
Vacu-Lug Cuts Steam Costs
Pictured left to right; Will Maycock, Head of Transport, Yearsley Logistics with Jim Beddall, Regional Sales Director, Bandvulc
Vacu-Lug has operated three Babcock Wanson dual-fuel VPX 2000RR steam generators since 1989, but production engineer Peter Connolly says the VPX-RR units were reaching the end of their working life.
So, with the energy saving potential from updating its steam raising equipment, Vacu-Lug went for two Babcock Wanson gas-fired vertical
ability to follow demand quickly. "Curing is a critical element of the retread process and requires three variables – heat, pressure and time... The steam generators have proven to be reliable items of plant."
And he adds that, since Vacu-Lug processes a wide range of tyres, the curing process can lead to a highly variable steam demand. "We have
Vacu-Lug has installed a second coil type Babcock Wanson steam generator, complete with flue gas economiser, for its curing process
ESM2000 units.
ESM2000s use electronic controls to maintain the ratio between burner firing rate and water input, while variable speed drives for fan and feed water pumps enable them to tightly follow process demand.
"The ESM 2000 installation, together with an ongoing programme of process plant lagging and steam trap maintenance, has enabled us to significantly reduce our gas usage and cushion the company against rising gas prices," confirms Connolly. He also says that steam raising was chosen over thermal fluid heating, because of its reliability and its
found that steam generators can react to variable steam demands – they can proceed from standby to steam generation within minutes." And he points to Babcock Wanson's quick Autostart facility on the ESM2000, enabling a standby generator to be brought online quickly when steam demand requires it.
Both ESM2000s at Vacu-Lug have been fitted with economisers to allow the feedwater to collect heat from the waste flue gases prior to entering the steam generator. Source: Plant Engineer
Yearsley Logistics, the UK’s largest frozen logistics service provider, have extended their tyre management agreement with Bandvulc Group.
Will Maycock, Head of Transport for Yearsley Logistics comments; “Bandvulc has been a long standing supplier to Yearsley Logistics and has demonstrated a high level of service in all areas. More recently they have been very proactive in ensuring we remain at the forefront of tyre developments and cost savings initiatives. It’s always good to see suppliers thinking of their customers and Bandvulc has certainly been such a company”. Bandvulc’s Jim Beddall has been managing the Yearsley Logistics
account for many years and has recently been looking at the benefits of new products and introducing these at the earliest opportunity. Jim comments; “Our new development means that we have to review options and change where necessary if we believe it benefits our clients. With Yearsley Logistics we have been conducting consistent trials to enable best policy throughout.”
For each Bandvulc tyre used by Yearsley Logistics it saves the environment 68 litres of oil, 44kg of rubber and 182.24kg of CO2 compared with new tyres – when you consider that the Yearsley Logistics fleet operates a policy of Bandvulc retread tyres on drive and trailer axles this represents
Czech retreader ProNorth from Trinec has been awarded a 20 year retread partner award from Bridgestone Bandag. Pictured from from left to right are Armin Müller
Regional Retread & FCO Business Development Manager, Ing. Czeslaw Kura Owner of ProNorth and Jan Broulik Commercial Products Sales Manager)
significant environmental savings compared to new tyres. During 2012-13 this has amounted to savings of over 88,000 litres of oil, 57 tonnes of rubber compound and 235 tonnes of CO2.
Will adds, “In line with Yearsley Logistics’ commitment to
sustainability, we are continually developing our CSER strategy. By enlisting Bandvulc, not only are we running safe, proven products that have a positive impact on the environment during the life of the tyre, but are also ensuring these are responsibly recycled afterwards.”
UK Retread Market Up in 2013
The Retread Manufacturers Association has announced an increase in production for RMA members for all sectors during 2013.
Truck retread production among association members rose to 463,591 units, an increase of 1.8 per cent. However, this masks a decrease in sales of pre-cured retreads, which fell by 4.7 per cent to 115,676. Mould cure retreading continued to benefit from this, increasing by 4.1 per cent to 347,915 units. The figures underlies the continued growth in strength of the country’s leading
mould cure retreaders, Bandvulc, Vacu-Lug and Bulldog.
Light truck retread sales also increased by 2.5 per cent to 56,765. Here there was a similar increase in mould cure sales at the expense of pre-cure but here the effect was more marked with mould cure growing by 10.0 per cent at the expense of pre-cure, which fell by 9.2 per cent. Passnger car retread production showed a 2.6 per cent increase to 133,534 units, whilst Tractor and Earthmover rose by 3.3 per cent to 6364 units.
Yearsley Logistics Extend with Bandvulc
Bandag Service Award for ProNorth
8 Retreading Business