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In addition to these treads, however, there is the ECO Tread range of treads, which are produced with a high-tech rubber formula for low rolling resistance, leading to fuel savings of up to 10%. Other successful examples of composites developed for a specific application are Vipal’s
already premium Ringtread range.
Many companies also have multi-branded product offerings these days, whether its sub- segmented like Marangoni or true multi-branding like other suppliers. This image was taken at the Pneushow in Brazil this year and shows the two key
market.
Vipal’s Univipal centre, for example, currently runs more than 50 different courses,
retreader and one for the transporter. For the haulier this includes a tyre management system analysing the history of
A training session at Univipal
Vipal’s team in Panama
treads with the 3PMSF label, found on European tyres indicated for severe snow conditions, and also on the VT170 and VL130 treads under the US Smartway programme, aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.
This image shows the Vipal sales team on their stand at the Latin American Tire Expo in Panama this year.
The idea of segmenting the product range has become increasingly prevalent, particularly at the top end of the
brands of the Unique Rubber Group being promoted on the same stand.
But let’s move on to two of the key areas of investment on the part of the tread manufacturers, which are aimed at improving the perceived value of the retreading product and making sure that both retreaders and fleets succeed in optimising both the real and perceived value of the retread products. I’m talking about Training and Fleet Programmes.
Let’s start with training. Once
attended by 350 students from all over the world, with more than 500 training sessions covering more than 4,000 students in person, and 2,700 students in EAD courses.
One of the most important programs at Univipal is the Tyre Management course, aimed at hauling company owners, fleet controllers and maintenance managers, whose objective is to provide greater subject-matter expertise by showcasing the retread process, and advanced maintenance care.
Which brings me onto the subject of the growth in tyre management packages, which have begun to be taken on board by the leading tread rubber suppliers in recent years. Of course, the major new tyre manufacturers have had these for a while and incorporate retreads into these support packages. Independent retreaders, though, need to same kind of support to help them sell to fleets effectively, so it’s gratifying see this kind of service also growing.
Marangoni launched its Marangoni Premium Fleet programme at Autopromotec last year, while Vipal followed suit earlier this year with their package, Vipal Fleets, a new software tool that provides control over tyre inventor y, costs and revenue, delivery reports and casing disposal histor y.
One of the most established systems is the Tipler Value Package (or Pacote de Valor) in Brazil, which is divided into two support packages, one for the
the tyre and calculating the best time to retread it, an analysis of mileage performance, a scrap analysis tool, and vehicle inspection software that identifies opportunities for improvement in the composition of the fleet, maximizing the performance of the tyres and, thus, reducing the cost per kilometre.
Let us now move on to the role played by the equipment manufacturers in helping retreaders to produce better retreads, more quickly and more cost-efficiently. Firstly, I’d like to look at inspection equipment and in particular developments in shearography.
Initial and final inspection are key areas where cost efficiency and profitability can be optimised – the selection of appropriate casings, avoiding wasting resources by avoiding unsuitable casings, checking and control of process quality. Minimising claims is vital – not just for profitability but also for the overall image of retreading. The market for shearography equipment is dominated by two suppliers, SDS Systemtechnik and Zeiss, and both agree on the significant steps forward made over the years in this particular area, and the key role that shearography can play is helping reduce costs across the production process.
In a recent article for our magazine, Stefan Dengler from SDS pointed out that the three key areas of cycle time, accuracy and cost had improved hugely over the years.
Bead to bead cycle time, he
The Tipler/Borex stand at the Pneushow in Sao Paulo
market, where manufacturers are enhancing their premium brands with a combination of added value services and state- of-the art product developments.
The Marangoni Black Line range is interesting in that it is a kind of premium-premium product. An extra premium product that was developed out of the
again, it’s worth emphasising that training centres aimed at retreaders and fleet customers are nothing new, but it seems to me that there is an increasing awareness on the part of suppliers of the need to be close to their customer base and to provide the necessary support to enhance the competitive edge currently demanded by the
18 Retreading Business
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