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NEWS
Bridgestone Introduces “The Bandag Contract of Trust”
On the occasion of the 2016 edition presentation of the White Paper on Retreaded Tyres in Rome, AIRP called for support for the the tyre retreading sector.
"The opportunities
abound,” said
Stefano Carloni,
president AIRP. “A
possible solution
would be a tax credit in favour of the end users, which in our industry are overwhelmingly drivers. Also, solutions related to the environmental benefits and the use of environmental claims as a lever
of competitiveness would undoubtedly have positive effects. The 29 September 2015 decree of the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport assigns incentives for the benefit of trucking companies for the renovation and technological upgrading of the vehicle fleet, in which, among the technical devices relevant for the purposes of the decree, are included class C3 tires with a rolling resistance coefficient (RCC ) less than 8.0 kg /t with Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)'.
“That is just one example of a
During the Reifen 2016 exhibition in Essen, Bridgestone introduced a new concept aimed at increasing the levels of trust placed by fleets in retreads in general and in Bandag retreads in particular. “The Bandag Contract of Trust” for commercial fleets aims at reassuring fleets that Bandag retreaded tyres are not only a safe and reliable alternative to a new set
Manager Truck and Bus Tyres Category Management at Bridgestone Europe, explains: “Some fleet operators have been slow to accept retreads in their tyre programme. With “The Bandag Contract of Trust” we aim to convince them that Bandag retreads, backed by Bridgestone, play a vital role in tyre management and operating
possible tool that could be used to encourage trucking companies to utilise retreads."
The conference in Rome opened with a speech by Valentina Mazenga, representing Barbara Degani, undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment. Mr Chiara Braga, environmental manager for the Democratic Party told the conference, "The experience of retreaded tyres is very significant because it is part of the so-called circular economy, that aims to optimise the use of raw materials in the production processes. The economic, ecological and employment benefits made by the use of retreaded tyres are very important and this needs to be communicated more effectively to end users."
Michael Codron explains the benefits of the Bandag Contract of Trust during a press conference at the Reifen 2016 exhibition.
Vipal Develops Partnership in Bosnia
Vipal continues to make progress in new markets around the world, and is currently celebrating growth in brand recognition in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the company has been working with Kov-Grad d.o.o. from Bužim
since 2015, a civil
engineering
company, which
also operates in
the highway
maintenance and
tyre retreading
segments.
Kov-Grad started
operating in 1996
and today has a
fleet numbering
70 trucks, in
addition to other
types of heavy equipment. In 2003, the company decided to enter the retreading market, and today it produces an average of 200 retreaded tyres per month with a focus on the freight segment. Most of its production is sold internally and used in its own fleet; Kov-Grad exports the remainder to neighbouring
countries.
One of the key aspects that contributed to this growth was the leap in the company’s revenue, which last year (2015) rose by more than 200 per cent compared
to when it began operating. “We are very happy with the results we have obtained in this market,” highlights Leandro Rigon, International Business Manager for Vipal. Kov-Grad d.o.o. from Bužim intends to continue expanding its business and also provide tyre retreading for passenger vehicles.
of tyres, but also a solution for reducing fleets’ tyre related costs per kilometre. The proposition applies also to retreads made from Bridgestone and Firestone tyre casings – for which the retreadability by Bandag is also 100 per cent guaranteed.
“The Bandag Contract of Trust”, which is to be signed between Bandag dealers and fleet operators, was introduced to the European tyre press in a presentation by Michael Codron, Managing Director of the Commercial Business Unit at BSEU. The contract, it was revealed, will be introduced progressively across Europe, following announcements to be made by Bandag.
Harald Van Ooteghem, Senior
efficiency.”
At the heart of “The Bandag Contract of Trust” is Bridgestone’s Total Tyre Life concept – which looks at a tyre throughout its entire life cycle. This approach argues that the combination of new premium tyres, manufactured with fully-retreadable casings, followed by quality retreads can help fleets to reduce their operating costs through a lower cost per km over the whole tyre life.
“Our fleet customers who regularly use retreads in their tyre programme see the benefits clearly; they acknowledge that mounting retreads gives them a better return on investment and brings down the cost per kilometre” adds van Ooteghem.
AIRP Issue White Paper on Retreading
Using a White Paper on retreaded tyres to support its promotion of retreads to the Italian government, the Italian Retreaders Association (AIRP) highlights one particular figure that arose from the research into retreaded tyres.
The process of tyre retreading reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 30 per cent
compared to the production of a new tyre.
In Italy, every year, through the use of retreaded tyres it is possible to save an average of 30 million litres of oil and 20,000 tons of other strategic raw materials such as natural and synthetic rubber, carbon black, textile fibres, steel and copper.
8 Retreading Business