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NEPAL
Kathmandu Retreader Starts Using Tolins Tread
Kerala based tread rubber brands dominate the Nepali market, and one of the major Kathmandu based retreaders has recently started using Tolins tread. Dakshinkali Cold Resoling Center offers Midas tread for retreads but has now widened its range by adding Tolins. “We have been retreading tyres with Midas for many years, but Tolins has been in contact with us for quite some time, and now we have started using it on a few tyres. We will increase its share on the basis of market feedback,” said Romnath Tewari, MD, Dakshinkali Cold Resoling Center.
However, he made it clear that Midas will remain the mainstay
of the business and Tolins will be offered as a variety in the range available with the retreader. “We have long relations with Midas and have been consistently using it for many years, but the introduction of Tolins is in line with increasing the product portfolio,” he said.
The company sources around 3 tonnes of Midas tread for its two plants and supplying to the general market. We have two precure retreading plants in Kathmandu. The first at Gangbu opened in 1991, and the second based near the airport in Balaju started two years back,” he informed. Both plants together retread between 2,500 to 3,000 tyres annually.
Amar Jyoti Moves to Pre-cure
Pokhara based retreader Amar Jyoti Tyre Resoling, discontinued its activity in the traditional hot retreading around two years ago, according to owner Himlal Vastakoti. With the market shifting almost 100 per cent to pre-cure retreading the company felt there was no point investing in a new electric chamber, so made the decision to focus solely on pre-cure retreading
The plant retreads about 1,500 tyres yearly using Midas and Poddar treads with a single two- tyre High Tech brand chamber from India. “Competition has also risen in what is already a low volume business, with lot of
retreaders putting up plants in the last two or three years,” he said. The plant has been operating for the last two decades.
The number of retreaders in Nepal is actually increasing, but the retread market has remained more or less static over the course of the last few years. “The number of retreaders has almost doubled in the last five years, which means that business is further divided among the active retreaders. As a result, the volumes of retread plants are either at the same level or going down further,” he argued.
Baglung Retreader to Focus on Improving Productivity
Baglung based tyre retreader Bhadrakali Tyre Resoling is focusing on improving efficiencies to run a lean and mean operation. The plant, located around 70 km from Pokhara, retreads around 1,500 tyres yearly.
Sworup Tyres based at Pokhara sold this plant to the current owner five years ago. “The market condition is really bad these days mainly due to the demonetisation of high value currency by India, which has critically affected cash liquidity in Nepal,” said Arjun K C,
MD, Bhadrakali Tyre Resoling.
On when the market scenario would improve, he commented; “The market is still recovering from demonetization, but it will most likely recover fully in another six months’ time.”
Bhadrakali retreads mostly TBRs tyres using a four-tyre Vee Seven Chamber imported from India. “We import around 5 tonnes of Indag Rubber for our own plant and also supply to several retreaders in the Dhaulagiri and Syangja District,” he said.