Page 31 - RB-75-15-4

BRAZIL
Vipal’s Facilities in Nova Prata
800mm. Much of the
equipment in the
plant is developed by
Vipal’s own highly
skilled engineering
department. The
plant operates on an
open mill system,
which allows the
plant to be very
flexible. Each month
the company handles
3-400 different
compounds, which is very difficult to do. Some of these need to be done on an open mill system.
100% of batches are sent for analysis at the plant’s sample testing laboratory, which tests all material approved by the company’s main research laboratory. If material from a batch fails a test twice, the batch is used to manufacture
flooring, thus making a
major contribution to
waste reduction.
Development of new
processes and
enhancements to
Vipal’s product range
are carried out at the
company’s Research
and Technology Centre
(CPT) in Nova Prata.
With a team of
chemists and engineers,
the centre is divided
into eight sections
which hold 13
laboratories, which
meet all needs related
to the approval of new raw materials, improvement in products and processes, as well as research and development of new products.
VipalTec is a high-tech lab where the company
conducts research and testing for the certification of new and retread tyres. VipalTec has been accredited since 2007 by the Brazilian agency that certifies all products in terms of metrology, quality and technology (Inmetro), and provides services to the entire tyre sector.
The Vicencio Paludo Technical Centre (CTV) is a retreading school that aims to
The VipalTec building in Nova Prata
It is around fifteen years since Retreading Business last had the opportunity to visit Vipal’s facilities in Nova Prata, so it was a pleasure to get the opportunity to see some of the extensive facilities
flooring. The company’s motorcycles tyre plant is located here too. Each of the three factories has a capacity of ca. 6,000 tonnes. All production at the plants is low VOC
Students complete one of the courses at UniVipal
that have been developed in the meantime, including some impressive technical laboratories and an impressive training centre. Vipal operates through two manufacturing plants in Nova Prata and a third in the Bahia area in the north of Brazil. Plant 1 in Nova Prata, the oldest of the three plants, makes envelopes, patches, cushion gum, tubes and OTR treads as well as speciality compounds, coloured compounds and conveyor belt rubber. Plant 2 is dedicated to the production of pre-cured treads, camelback, adhesives and calendering. The Bahia plant is the most automated of the Vipal facilities and makes repair materials, retreading materials, compounds and
Vipal takes its environmental responsibilities ver y seriously, and great emphasis is laid on the achievements made in the area of waste reduction at the plants. Since 2001 the company has achieved a 94% reduction in industrial waste. Ever ything in the plant is re-used in some way or another, whilst 60-70% of water used in production is from rain water collected from the factor y roof. In 2013 111,466 cubic metres of rainwater was collected by Vipal. In addition, the emissions from the plant are are 96% lower than what is allowed by law.
Vipal’s Plant 2 has 5 banbur ys and six cold feed extruders producing profiles from 6mm to
underwent training courses through Univipal, including training sessions at the CTV, EAD and in person. During the same period, 2270 customers had the opportunity to visit Vipal’s plants and see the company’s structure up close.
UniVipal has the facility to allow retreaders to bring customer there to have meetings and to exchange ideas. There is also a four-day management course certified by the University of Porto Alegre. Next year the company is looking at running a workshop management course.
Finally, Paludo Pneus is a Vipal- owned retread plant, which makes 2000 tyres a month. The plant is used not only for sales, but also as part of the training school at UniVipal as well as a development centre.
prepare manpower specialised in tyre retreading and to serve as a technological reference for the Vipal Authorized Dealer Network. Univipal is Vipal’s corporate university, which works as a hub for disseminating knowledge about tyre retreading to customers and partners in the Authorised Dealer Network. In 2014/15, more than 3460 students
The Vicencio Paludo Technical Centre
Tyres are built in the Paludo Pneus retreading plant