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NEWS
Pneu Laurent Gets Greener
Pneu Laurent has invested in a water recycling plant at its Avallon factory. This is a significant move for the retreader as it consumes some 20,000 m3annually
"When the trucks arrive and drop off casings, our first action is to clean them. Between 1,800 and 2,000 tyre casings are dlivered daily to the site, "says Bernard Deplanche, director of corporate communications.
Until now, the water has been used in an open circuit, that is to say it has not been recycled. "Even though we are a classified for environmental protection system and we respect the ISO 14001 standard, nothing requires us to regulate water. But the company has chosen to commit to recycle," says Boris Martineau, environmental officer at Pneu Laurent. Now, the water circulates in a closed circuit “Out of every
1,000 m3 of liquid used, the company hopes to be able to re- use between 700 and 800M3" There is of course an economic aspect to this, but also a real commitment to the environment, "says Boris Martineau.
The company has also installed a rain water trap, a large cylinder 15 meters long and 4 meters in diameter buried in the compound. "The goal is to collect runoff there and filter it to remove dust by simple decantation. Maintenance of this system is required once or twice a year."
The plant also recycles tyres, including the crumb rubber some 3,000 tons are recycled each year. This raw material is processed to produce tiles, flooring, sports surfaces, supermarket trolley wheels and more, "says Bernard Deplanche.
From left to right – Mr. Khoo Chai Kee, Managing Director of Eco Retread Sdn Bhd & Mr. Joe Takekawa, Managing Director of Bridgestone Tyre Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
Retread process explanation by Mr. Low Sze Han, Senior Technical Service Engineer of Bridgestone Tyre Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
4 Retreading Business
Bridgestone Malaysia
Introduces First Bandag
Franchisee
Bridgestone Tyre Sales (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. celebrated the official opening of Malaysia’s first Bridgestone Bandag Franchisee Retread Shop, Eco Retread Sdn Bhd, at Lukut on 9 October 2014.
Bandag are further recognised with the Malaysian Standard MS224 approved by SIRIM Berhad.
Eco Retread Sdn Bhd promises top standard and high quality products to meet the growing demands and
This tyre retread shop is a partnership between Bridgestone Malaysia and Eco Retread Sdn Bhd. The new facility will carry out the production of retread tyres using the Bridgestone Bandag manufacturing process, serving its commercial customers in Malaysia. Adhering closely to Bridgestone Bandag’s standards, the new retread shop is equipped with state-of-the-art
equipment, including an advanced shearography machine to inspect and analyses tyre casings by using
to help fleet operators reduce their operating costs.
In a relatively mature market like Malaysia, retread tyres are widely used in almost all segments of commercial vehicles, and the retreading business is competitive with many established players. On the other hand, awareness of the huge benefit of using high quality retread tyres with proper maintenance still remains low among many fleet operators. A high
percentage of retreaded tyres used
lasers to measure surface anomalies in a vacuum environment, ensuring that only good casings are retreaded for better quality and safety. The commitment of Eco Retread to bring customers high quality retread tyres follows the strict processes of
the Bridgestone Bandag system, while high quality materials from
in Malaysia are of standard or economy grades. With the establishment of this Bridgestone Bandag franchisee retread shop, Bridgestone hopes to provide its commercial customers in Malaysia with premium quality total tyre solutions and raise the awareness of the retread tyres and their benefits.
Romanian Retreads for the UK
Romanian casing dealer and retreader International Tyres attended Brityrex at Manchester. The visit was part of the company’s development plan to widen the scope for both its casings operation and its retread offer.
Vasile Mireuta told Retreading Business, we are able to offer low cost European quality retreads that we ship all over Europe. As a casing dealer we are able to mix loads with retreads and part worn tyres. We also collect casings from all over Europe as there is always a shortage of quality casings.”
International Tyres is situated close to the Maldovan border and is within easy reach of the Russian market, which has huge potential as its retreading market grows and the poor condition of its roads mean that its retreaders have to seek
casings from Europe. International Tyres is ideally suited to meet that demand.
For the UK market, Mireuta is keen to promote what he is marketing as the company’s taxi tyre, this is aimed at the black cab market in the UK, which, although it is not as strong as it used to be, still represents a considerable market for retread tyres.