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ARC
There are three main areas to look at, he argued – reducing labour costs, measuring the cost of consumables and controlling the cost of energy.
On the subject of productivity Sudarsan outlined a typical modern shop in India producing around 600 tyres per month and employing 6 operators, the
organise his work and optimise the flow of the plant.
Operators need to achieve standard cycle times, and if this is not achieved a number of things need to be assessed, namely the capability of the operator, the performance of the machines, the quality of supervision, and casing availability. Training may need to
- ensuring sufficient storage space for cooling.
- storing envelopes flat, in an area free of dirt and debris to allow air circulation.
- the use of envelope lube.
- the routine inspection and repair of envelopes using approved materials and methods. - the avoidance of overstretching when using an envelope spreader - examining sealing systems for sharp edges that can snag or tear envelopes
- avoiding overtightening valves and
- as envelopes ‘grow’ in size – move them up to a larger tyre and mark them as such.
With regards to the optimising of buffing blade life Sudarsan recommended a number of actions to follow that will ultimately help profitability; ensure your buffer is well maintained and operating within the manufacturer’s specs and tolerances.
ensure exhaust ducting and water misting injection are functioning appropriately.
purchase only high quality buffing blades.
follow manufacturer guidelines for your specific application and buffer.
- ensure all pebbles and foreign materials are removed from the casing before buffing.
- choose an optimum depth and speed of cut (to ensure appropriate surface texture and blade life).
- flip the buffer blade assembly at approximately half life.
- avoid buffing into steel belted cables – the use of a buffer with an automatic undertread measuring device is recommended.
- regularly examine the ‘used’ blades to determine if teeth are being broken and if the full life of the blades is being used.
The third area of cost identified by Sudarsan as crucial is the cost of electricity. He recommended three key actions designed to reduce the risk of running up unnecessarily high bills, namely minimising the time the autoclave door is open, reducing the number of machines running when not in use, and checking regularly for air leaks.
Sudarsan Varadaraj, the Chairman and Managing Director of Elgi Rubber
average labour cost of which would typically be ca. 22000 per month or INR 115 per hour. This, he said, translates to a productivity of 0.5 tyres per man hour or an annual cost over a year of 1, 656,000 rupees. This bottom line figure, he pointed out, can be substantially reduced by even small improvements to productivity, which he explained, was dependent on four key factors, machines, capable supervison and leadership, operators and organisation. Machines, he argued, must be in good working condition and working within original operating specifications. Ongoing preventative and corrective maintenance to keep them that way is essential. Most modern buffers, he pointed out, are capable of processing at least 12 casings per hour, whilst builders are capable of handling up to 10 casings per hour. With these machines, he argued, higher productivity is definitely achievable.
In terms of supervision Sudarsan pointed out the importance of knowing the cycle times of the principal work stations in the plant i.e. Initial inspection = 4 min (15 / hour), Buffer = 5 min (12 / hour), Builder = 6 min (10 / hour) assuming separate tread preparation, Final inspection = 3 min (20 / hour). With this knowledge, said Sudarsan, a capable supervisor can better
be assessed and cross training may need to be carried out to address bottlenecks, absenteeism etc.
The organisation of the work and process flow of the plant is critical, he argued, for the supervisor to achieve good productivity. The builder, he said, should be established as the “heartbeat” of the plant, with all other work posts being focused on ensuring casings are available at the builder.
In this way the plant manager can take action to address temporar y bottlenecks that arise, have the buffer select ‘clean’ casings that can go through the process without skiving or repair, and temporarily reassign skilled operators without negatively affecting the flow.
The second major area where cost reductions can be made, according to Sudarsan, is in the area of consumables, the two highest cost areas on a “per cure” basis being envelopes followed by rasp blades.
Maximising the life of envelopes is crucial, he argued, and this starts by purchasing high quality envelopes, the cost which will quickly be outweighed by the savings. Ensuring that there are enough envelopes in each tyre size to allow the envelope to cool before using again is also important. He also advises
- ensuring envelopes are properly sized for the system.
Budget New Tyres in Focus at ARC
TRIB’s David Stevens
Without a doubt, the hottest topic for discussion at the Asian Retread Conference was how the retreading industr y should deal with the challenge posed by budget new tyres. In addition to the publisher of this magazine, whose presentation is printed in full in this issue of the magazine, there were a number of other presentations from senior industr y personalities, which
touched to a greater or lesser degree on this subject, and we deal with their messages here. David Stevens, Managing Director of the US based trade association TRIB presented “An Overview of the Global Retread Industry and Current Challenges” and this dealt in part with the impact of budget new tyres on retreading markets in North America and elsewhere.
28 Retreading Business
