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INDIA
N P Mathur, Director, Marudhar Tyre & Treads Pvt Ltd
Marudhar Tyres expanded into the retreading and repair of OTR tyres about a year ago. “We have started retreading JCB tyres and repair of almost of all kinds of OTR tyres. We retread about 25 OTR tyres each month,” Mathur said.
The three decade old Treadsdirect franchisee had three plants up to the middle of 1990’s.
“Each plant used to retread 2,000 tyres per month in the peak phase from 1986 to 1990, when Elgi introduced precure retreading in India,” he stated.
But by 1993, the boom in the industry started stemming and the company was forced to close down one unit. The two other plants, one
Shankarvadivel, General Manager, Sales & distribution, Elgi Rubber Company Limited
Elgi Showcases 6-Series Machinery Range
The Indian retreading industr y is in the earlier stages of transformation when it comes to moving to the next level. Nonetheless, existing plants are being increasingly upgraded and even upcoming new units are preferring the latest hi- tech equipment. Therefore, the retreading equipment makers and suppliers are also launching their international ranges in the domestic market to tap the growing demand. Coimbatore based Elgi Rubber Company Limited showcased its 6- Series of tyre retreading and repairing machinery at Tyrexpo India 2016 organised in New Delhi. The 6-Series range is an ungraded range, ready to hit the market shortly. “The series is designed from the ground to meet the demands of high productivity, uniformity and reliability at an affordable price. The series will be available in the Indian market in the next 2-3 months,” informed S Shankarvadivel, General Manager, Sales and Distribution,
Elgi Rubber Company Limited. “All machines showcased are designed to be used with or without monorail system,” he added.
Elgi displayed the whole range from the 6-Series and the company’s executives were occupied with explaining the finer points to its existing partners keen on upgrading to the new series in its franchisee network as well as new companies joining the business. It showcased an upgraded variant of its Tyre Sidewall Cleaner TC6 which thoroughly cleans the sidewalls of casings to enable inspection prior to retreading.
“The Inspection spreader IS6 is for internal and external inspection prior to or after retreading, and it can be adapted to non-destructive inspection systems for detecting nail holes and small injuries,” he explained. Elgi has also upgraded its Automated Building Machine BI6 to apply and stitch pre-cured treads onto casings.
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inside Jaipur and another on the outskirts of the city, are still operational with an installed capacity of 5,000 tyres per month in both plants.
“We are hardly retreading 1,500 tyres these days as competition from the smaller unorganised retreaders, which started in the last decade, coupled with the presence of Chinese tyres, has forced us to operate at the lowest levels,” he argued.
There are other factors responsible for the prevailing scenario such as the low movement of trucks due to lack of business and the overall
slump in the market. “The factories are not working at full steam leading to lack of truck movement. The government has announced infrastructure projects to bring back life in the market but it has yet to make any significant impact on the industr y,” he explained.
Despite the slowdown, the Jaipur based retreader is optimistic about the future and hope that the scenario will improve in the next couple of years. “With an improvement in the overall business environment, we would likely to touch the 2,000 unit mark each month in a single unit,” he said.
The envelope spreader ES6 has a three-position height and opening adjustment to suit casing diameter to centre envelope opening to casing and prevent over expansion, thereby optimising envelope life. The new electric autoclave EA6 has a capacity from 2 to 24 casings and has been introduced with cure cycle record. Elgi also showcased a painting station and a cement
booth.
Explaining the benefits of the new series, Shankar added, “The new upgraded machines give higher productivity and reduce labour costs as they are simple in design and easy to operate and maintain.”