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MOLDOVA
Tehnoprofil Opens Moldovan Retreading Plant
On November 6, 2015 Palin Construct Srl opened a new retread plant under the trade mark Tehnoprofil with an annual capacity of 6,000 units per year, which it claims is the largest in Moldova. Most of the equipment and production technologies have been transferred from the company’s former plant near Rybnitsa city at the Transnistria
tyres for trucks, buses and other heavy machinery in Rybnitsa. This happened following numerous consultations and negotiations with foreign experts in this field that we met during international exhibitions and business trips. After two years, because of economic reasons, this production has been moved to the capital of Moldova, Chisinau,” said Gulya.
According to the heads of Tehnoprofil the company uses the most modern equipment in the country, which has created a highly automated production process. This ensures the quality of the product and decreases the production cost per retreaded tyre unit.
“Initially, there the plan was to eliminate the human factor in the process as far as possible and to achieve the highest quality of products with minimal time expenditure. We have built a production line - a monorail conveyor, which extends along the entire plant, from the inspection machine to the autoclave,” stated Alexandr Gulya.
Tehnoprofil pays great deal of attention to the right choice of casing, so at the inspection stage tyres undergo a thorough examination. The approved casings are sorted not only by brand, grade and size, but also by position on the vehicle, as tyres from the drive or trailer axle should not be set on the steer axle.
The company uses a computerised buffer, which incorporates most of the technical parameters of the tyre manufacturers, the diameter and width, distance to the cord, the radius of the processing, and others settings. The operator only needs to set the desired mark on the active display and set the parameters. “Some other retreading companies in Moldova use manual buffing equipment, which does not always gives the possibility to achieve the
Tehnoprofil’s Alexandr Gulya
24 Retreading Business
correct parameters for the removing of the worn tread. This lack of accuracy and consistency affects the quality of processing. The automated machine installed at the factory of Tehnoprofil ensures the required quality results and a consistency of treatment,” explained Gulya.
“The final stage of the production cycle is the electric autoclave,” he added. “Some companies use steam autoclaves, whose main disadvantage is the difficulty in maintaining a constant temperature.” Equipped with electronic sensors, the machine at Tehnoprofil maintains uniform temperature conditions of about 115C during the four hours of curing. “Some firms set higher temperatures, which accelerate the process, but the casings after that will be impossible to use for the second retreading,” said Gulya.
At the same time, according to the company’s co-owner Inna Alovatsksya, Tehnoprofil are using domestic casings only, as the practice of importing casings for retreading plants is officially prohibited.
“Like any other retreading business, we need high quality casings, but unfortunately, according to Moldovan legislation, used tyres are classified as waste and are banned for import into our country. So we have to deal with casings that have been selected within the country,” she said.
“The maximum capacity of our production line today stands at 6,000 units per year. Currently, we use in our production process materials of the leading manufacturers in the segment, including Marangoni, Kraiburg, Vipal and Bandamatic. With a wide range of treads we can satisfy any customer, Alovatsksya added.
The main clients of Tehnoprofil are Moldovan carriers, public and private bus fleets, as well as a small number of Romanian transport companies. During its work in the tyre market the company’s experts have created a unique database of all Moldovan carriers, which are included in a special CRM-system. As the result the company knows what sizes and
brands of tyres the various carriers use, what their mileage is, where and how many times a year they change tyres as well as lot of other information.
At the same time, according to Inna Alovatsksya, Tehnoprofil has to face competition with Russian and Chinese tyres, as well as having to deal with a low level of trust in retreading products.
“Overall, the market for retreaded tyres in Moldova is sufficiently developed,” she said. “According to the study, which was conducted on our request by a Moldovan consulting company, our market is focused on the use of budget Chinese
Tehnoprofil Co-owner Inna Alovatsksya
– the partially recognised state which is located mostly on a strip of land between the River Dniester and the eastern Moldovan border
with Ukraine.
According to the company’s head Alexandr Gulya, Tehnoprofil was originally founded in 2002 and was initially active in businesses far removed from the retreading industry. In the first years of its activity the company was focused on the catering business and the wholesaling of building materials. Over time, using a fleet of trucks, and facing the high cost of replacing the tyres the owners got the idea to launch their own tyre retreading factory.
“So, in January 2013, we launched the first plant for the retreading of
and Russian brands. Therefore, breakdown services are popular in our country. However, there is also still as certain mistrust of retreaded tyres,” she added.
“In the absence of mandatory certification and standardisation of retreaded tyres in Moldova, some local firms conduct the retreading of tyres in their garages using makeshift equipment, and not adhering to the strict process parameters that affect the quality and the very idea of retreading. We have to re-instill confidence in the carriers that this idea deserves recognition for its quality and standards,” she concluded.
Tehnoprofil aims to produce high quality retreads that will change the face of Moldovan retreading