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NEWS EXTRA
Reifen Müller Retreads its Millionth Tyre
addition, this process eliminates the wasted off-cuts of rubber resulting from preparation of tread strips. The Ringbuilder 3000 is a completely automatic machine, in which the cushion gum is applied directly onto the casing, filling any craters and allowing
perfect application and rolling of the tread rings. Reifen Müller was the first tyre retreading company in Europe to use this technology, and based on the results achieved, then decided to purchase a second machine.
Reifen Ihle Rescued
The investment company Prolimity Capital Partners has acquired Rigdon, including the retread tyre plant in Günzburg Donauried.
After months of hope and fear, the holding company Prolimity Capital Partners acquired the RIG Technical Products GmbH. It will be known as Rigdon GmbH. So the 110 staff at the Günzburger plant have a future. "We are happy," said Council Chairman Gerhard Bäurle after a staff meeting the tyre plant.
The struggle for the future of the company dragged on for months. In February, the company's management for the four companies RIG Technical Products, Reifen Ihle GmbH, Reifen Ihle GmbH and RIG carcasses GmbH filed for insolvency. Approximately 230 employees were affected. Several reasons were given, they ranged from the loss of a major customer to the mild winter that had throttled their tyre sales significantly. After the opening of insolvency proceedings in May 18 employees received their
notice. The end of October there was a first bright spot. Reifen Müller announced the acquisition of twelve Reifen Ihle branches between Aichach and Ulm. All 101 employees, mainly from Reifen Ihle GmbH, were retained. In November, another 30 employees lost their jobs. But now the future of the tyre plant has been secured. .
Managing the Rigdon tyre plant initially is Christoph Fluhr, who founded the business with Dr. Peter Mauritz Prolimity. He sees, in retreads, a major growth market. Especially in the truck sector, the market share of retreaded tyres is at about 40 per cent. "The cost per kilometre is considerably lower than for any new tyres," says Fluhr. The restructuring will take not just one year, but about seven years. Ihle had concentrated, for example, on the business in southern Germany. "We want to carry out a nationwide attack," Mauritz announced.
Reifen Müller from Hammelburg, Germany has produced its millionth tyre, a Ringtread Blackline retread. Reifen Müller operates two Ringbuilder 3000 machines, the second of which was installed in 2012. The machines offer an integrated combination of cushion gum extrusion and ring application, introduced onto the market several years ago and synonymous with maximum productivity and the highest quality.
Ringtreads adhere completely to the casing, without tension and without any deformation of the profile, guaranteeing high mileage and total safety on any type of road surface. This retreading technology, combined with the use of shearographic inspection and nail-hole detection, ensures a perfect retreaded
tyre.
At Reifen Müller, retreading is not an instant process. Only when the casing and the tread strips are a perfect match for each other can a quality tyre live its second or third life. Reifen Müller therefore not only applies the latest casing inspection techniques, but also uses the highest quality of Marangoni retreading materials. The main product used is the cold retreading material for the Ringtread line, in the high-end Blackline version. In peak season, the Hammelburg factory turns out around 350 tyres a day.
With Ringtread technology, the plant can produce 200 retreads in each 8 hour shift. The high level of automation guarantees high productivity, savings in labour and faster processing times. In