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NEWS
Obituary: Vicencio Paludo
Vicencio Paludo, the founder of Vipal and patriarch of the Paludo family, passed away on the 19 September 19 at the age of 94. Paludo was responsible, with help
from his children, for transforming a small tyre repair shop into a powerful part of the Brazilian economy that has now been on the market for more than 40 years. Dedicated and determined, Vicencio Paludo was born in Paraí, Rio Grande do Sul, in the south of Brazil, and chose Nova Prata, also in Rio Grande do Sul, to build Vipal Rubber, a leader in the Latin American market and one of the most important tyre repair and retreading product manufacturers in the world.
Paludo’s philosophy of life was to love his family, his work, and his Christian faith. At 94 years old, he is survived by eight children, eleven grandchildren and four great-
grandchildren, who see him as a role model for overcoming challenges; a great teacher; and an accomplished man.
His enterprising vision, his constant efforts to grow and innovate, and especially his commitment to the quality of the products and services he offered will be immortalised by Vipal, the company that bears his name.
Paludo, who loved nature, began his career back in the 1940s, at a time when he already showed his skill in the workshop. After various experiences and challenges over the years, in the late 1960s, after traveling from Nova Prata to Feira de Santana, in the state of Bahia, Brazil, he found the right opportunity, which would become his main business for the rest of his life: Vipal tyre repairs and retreading.
After more than 40 years since the founding of Vipal Rubber, the company now numbers around 3,000 employees in three plants in Brazil, two in Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana, as well as two distribution centres in Brazil. The company operates in over 90 countries around the world and has distribution centres in South America, North America, Europe and Oceania.
And all of this infrastructure began thanks to the essential first steps of Mr. Vicencio. After all, as he himself liked to say: “It’s never late to achieve.”
completely upgrade its plant located in Wadeville, in the Johannesburg metropolitan area.
The A&TT retreading plant produces a little under 1,000 retreaded truck tyres a day, using precured material supplied by Leader Rubber Company and Ringtread rings, and now aims to exploit the latest Italian-made Marangoni/TRM technology to achieve very high quality and efficiency standards.
The latest generation machinery installed includes the Giotto 3000 buffing machine, Black Swan 3000 cushion gum applicator and Constrictor 3000 building machines. The 3000 line, part of Marangoni’s tried-and-tested machinery range, is designed for plants with high daily output, guaranteeing up to around 120 tyres per shift.
The Giotto 3000 is an ultra- automatic buffing machine with very high production capacity, ensuring exceptional precision and quality of
the buffed profiles.
The Black Swan 3000, on the other hand, is a fully automatic machine that both applies the cushion gum and retreads the tyre or reinforces sidewalls, all without using adhesive solutions and thus avoiding solvent emissions in the atmosphere. Finally, with the addition of the Constrictor 3000 building machines, A&TT will be able to count on ultra- automatic machines that ensure very high production capacity, managing strip application with constant tension and thus ensuring perfect balance and perfectly regular tread wear.
The installation of this latest generation technology at the A&TT plant and, above all, the new partnership with Leader Rubber Company, further confirms and reinforces the Marangoni Group’s ongoing international development strategy adopted in recent decades.
Vacu-Lug Ramps up Production of Logistik Tyres
Grantham-based retreader, Vacu-Lug, launched its Logistik 295/80R22.5 commercial vehicle drive axle tyre in November 2014. In early 2015, the new Logistik Drive 315/70R22.5
significant increase in ‘true roundness’ which, according to Barron, means that every mm of tread depth throughout the tyres’ rolling circumference is available and
A&TT Invests in Marangoni Technology at Wadeville Plant
With just a few months having passed since the commencement of the new partnership in South Africa between the Marangoni Group and Leader Rubber Co. S.A., Auto & Truck Tyres (A&TT), one of the
leading South African suppliers of new and retreaded tyres, as well as the biggest retreader in the region, has placed its trust in the Marangoni Group’s experience and technological know-how to
followed and is already achieving success across the commercial vehicle sector. According to Vacu-Lug, the demand for the tyre has been such that a second tyre press has recently been installed.
“Underpinning the success of the Logistik tyre range is our unique 12–segment tyre press,” explains Vacu-Lug Plant Manager, Brian Barron. “We started with one but soon needed to bring a further press online. Clearly, our strategy of increasing the number of segments from 6 to 12 has helped in the early success of the new tyre.”
Inspired by the latest production techniques and technologies used in aircraft and high-performance tyres, the 12 segment press design enables Vacu-Lug to produce a tyre with a
thus a longer tyre life is achieved. Additionally, the new press is also a substantial upgrade in terms of curing pressure. Whereas the traditional curing pressure is +/-200psi, the new press curing pressure is 300psi.
“The theory is that there is a level of micro-porosity in a cured rubber compound and increasing the curing pressure eliminates that completely,” adds Barron. “More pressure equals more consolidation and it means that we can maximise the tread compound performance, not only in terms of kilometres, but also in terms of fuel efficiency.”
Vacu-Lug also attributes the durability of its Logistik tyre to the high quality of compounds upon which the manufacturing formula is based. “Working with world-leading custom
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