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NEWS
Increased Ringtread Production at Reifen Müller
Grégory Boucharlat Takes the Reins at Goodyear Dunlop Europe
Marangoni Retreading Systems has installed a new Ringbuilder 3003 (an optimised version of the highly- efficient Ringbuilder 3000) at Reifen Müller GmbH, one of Europe’s largest retreaders.
Ringbuilder 3003 is a completely automatic combination of extruder and applicator, and features a mobile touchscreen as human-machine interface. The only actions that the operator needs to perform manually are loading and removing the casing, and placing the rings on the divaricator fingers. The machine automatically recognises the casing so as to position the cushion gum and
Reifen Müller, a long-established Marangoni partner, was the first retreading company in Europe to use Ringbuilder technology and, considering the results achieved, decided to add other similar machines to its production line.
Uwe Müller, owner and managing director of the German company, clarified the reasons for this choice as follows: "The advantages of the tyres made in our plant using Ringtread technology were immediately clear, both to us and our customers, and indeed demand has grown constantly. Uniform processing and excellent values in terms of concentricity and
Grégory
Boucharlat has
been promoted
to director of
the commercial
tyre activity in
retreaded tyres
for Goodyear
Dunlop Europe-
Middle East-
Africa region
(EMEA).
At 43, Boucharlat has been with Goodyear France since 1994. Having held positions as director of fleet sales and commercial tyre sales manager. He also became director of the industrial tyres (heavyweight and civil engineering) division for Goodyear Dunlop France. Since September, he has been
BRV Launches
appointed director of the commercial tyre retread activity for EMEA. He officially took office in early October.
He will aim to develop the business of retreading in EMEA and will work closely with Jan- Piet Huylebroeck, his successor at the commercial tyre division in France.
Grégory Boucharlat, new director of the Goodyear’s commercial retread operations for EMEA
wingformer. The laser centring device ensures precise alignment and correct positioning of the ring on the casing (with the possibility of fine manual adjustment).
Using Ringtread technology, the plant can turn out 200 tyres every eight hour shift, occupyies limited space and guarantees a high degree of automation, which means greater productivity and faster cycle times.
balance mean that our product offers clear advantages over tyres made using traditional flat strips. Our mission is to offer our customers tyres that are absolutely reliable, guaranteeing the highest performance and reduced vehicle downtime, and consequently economic benefits. In this way, they don’t buy ‘just’ a retreaded tyre”.
Germany’s BRV has developed a campaign aimed at improving the image of the truck tyre retread. This comes at a time when retreaders in Germany are under pressure like never before from both European competitors and imported tyres from India and China.
At www.deutschland-
runderneuert.de the site focuses on the environmental aspects and performance of the retreaded tyre. The website presents facts and
figures, which should underline the advantage of using retreaded truck tyres. This is supported by campaign ads and online banners and activities in the social media.
The background for this action is, according to the BRV, the continuing market pressure experienced by the retreading industry. The total volume in the truck tyre replacement business had declined between 2010 and 2014 by ten per cent. While the new tyre sector has seen a loss of nine per cent, the unit sales of retreaded tyres dropped by as much as 14 per cent, according to the association.
The tense market situation is confirmed by the significantly increasing imports of cheaper truck tyres from non-European countries, in particular from China. These were mostly of poor quality and not suitable for retreading according to the BRV.
Retread Campaign
"We all have responsibility for the environment and by marketing retread tyres we make a good environmental case," emphasises BRV CEO Hans- Jürgen Drechsler. "With this campaign we want retreaded tyres to be granted the status they deserve, namely eco- friendly, type-approved quality products that are also economically interesting."
So, the BRV is also working in parallel with industry to ensure that the transport industry receives a state subsidy for using retreaded truck tyres.
Pneu Laurent Enables Online Purchasing
Pneu Laurent has relaunched its website with the facility for its clients to order retreaded tyres online. The new tool allows the customers to easily access all information about its product range, including the technical characteristics, performance and benefits of the various models. In addition to the streamlined navigation; tyre supply is structured according to the type of use:
long distance, regional, urban and mixed.
The Michelin owned retreader wants the website to reflect the Michelin quality and the Pneu Laurent brand at its best.
Pneu Laurent offers two types of service to suit the needs of its clients. The clients can choose to have their own casings retreaded, or to buy from Pneu Laurent stock.
8 Retreading Business