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SOUTH AMERICA
INSAMAR Focuses on Sustainability and Benefits for Society
Dario Andreani General Manager of Valparaiso-based Recauchaje INSAMAR
(known as Sistema B in Latin America). B Corporation is a nonprofit organisation that was born in the United States and Canada in 2006 with the goal of redefining the meaning of success in business: to solve social and environmental problems through products and services, thus using business as a force for good.
Says Andreani; The Sistema B proposition goes beyond just creating economic benefits. It’s a social and environmental purpose where they use market forces and business to do good and to impact positively on the society in which they act. We strive to create a fair and inclusive economy for all, concerned both with workers and citizens, concerned about caring for the environment and creating opportunities for society as a whole. We’re a group of companies who are looking to do the best for the world. In today’s world we’re faced with major environmental challenges. Sistema B proposes the construction of a new economy where the aim is not only economic benefit, but also the welfare of people, society and
follows sustainable energy policies, having installed solar panels around the factory and acting as a local showroom for the supplier TüV Rheinland.
Focus during the last two years has been to increase overall efficiency within the company by investing in equipment and information technology. On the equipment side INSAMAR has invested in a new extruder from Akarmak in Turkey. The AKR 550 eliminates cement, so reduces fire risk, as well as improving the finish of tyres, overall product quality and reducing raw materials costs. “Eliminating cement and cushion has given us a saving of 9 per cent of the direct cost of the tyre,” says Andreani. “It has increased product quality as well as the service given to customers.”
In terms of information technology INSAMAR has also incorporated SAP BO and Budini Retread System platforms, helping to improve control and traceability in the manufacturing process. Recently the company also decided to go a step further by working with Sustrend (another company
Dario Andreani is an emotional man by nature, but when you listen to him talk about his commitment to creating a sustainable environment and the need for businesses to think about their impact on society and nature, you cannot help but be inspired. For the third-generation General Manager of Valparaiso-based Recauchaje INSAMAR, the responsibility of being a business owner goes beyond simply making a profit; and extends to making a contribution to the welfare of employees and society in general. INSAMAR has been active in the Chilean retreading market for nearly sixty years, but it is during the last six years that Andreani has played the role of chief protagonist in a campaign to bring the Chilean retreading industry together in a concerted attempt to re-invigorate the sector.
Firstly, in 2012, the company played a leading role in the formation of ARNEC, the Chilean Retreaders Association, and, indeed, today ARNEC’s offices are still located at INSAMAR’s
headquarters in Curauma, on the outskirts of Valparaiso. With 15 members initially, ARNEC was established with the aim of improving the image of retreading in Chile and has since been successful in instigating a voluntary Clean Production Agreement with the Climate Change Agency within the Chilean Government.
So, what is Andreani’s overall vision for INSAMAR and the retreading industry in general? The aim, he says, is for INSAMAR to be a leader in the industry, not only in terms of the quality of the company’s products and processes, but also in terms technical support to clients. “We believe our experience can be a tremendous tool to help fleets improve their return on investment in terms of the use and management of tyres and also to help them optimise the life of tyres,” he says in his own corporate magazine.
Of particular importance to Andreani is INSAMAR’s status as a B Corporation certified company
AKAR 550 buffer at INSAMAR
nature.”
INSAMAR has been B Corporation certified since 2013, one of only 100 companies in Chile and around 2300 globally. The principles espoused by B Corporation are visible in many things that the company does. The company has a positive policy of employing handicapped people and contributes financially to many local schools, contributing to school activities. “It’s about making a positive contribution to the local community,” says Andreani. The company also
developed by Andreani) to develop a methodology for measuring reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the retread sector. The project, developed together with Dr Cristian Cardenas-Lailhacar from the University of Florida in the USA, compares from an energy efficiency point of view the energy consumption used to produce a retread against that of a new tyre. This, says Andreani, varies between 0.06 and 0.18 tonnes of CO2 for each retreaded tyre depending on the type of tyre.
24 Retreading Business