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EQUIPMENT
addressing many
Lukatec Commemorates
Historic Milestone in
Sales of Naja Tool
challenges which
retreaders around
the world have
been facing in the
past several years.
Akarmak has
completed a field
study to measure
the productivity
and efficiency of
the AKR550, and
the result has
proved that
retreaders have
achieved 15
minutes of labour
saving and 5 Euro
per tyre savings in
terms of money by using the AKR550. The return on investment for a retreader with just over 1,000 tyres per month volume is just over 12 months.
The extruder cushiongum application is not a new method for the industry. However, according to Akarmak, the AKR550 has changed the rules of the game in a way that a cushion gum extruder machine is no longer beyond the means of small and mid size retreaders. While only
Lukatec celebrated a historic achievement in October: 50 thousand units of the Naja Tool sold, the first product developed by the company when it launched back in 2002. The Naja is a tool designed for the disassembly of tubeless truck tyres.
“At that time, there were, in Brazil, simpler tools for this function, but they were not very efficient. In identifying this need, we saw an opportunity to present to the Brazilian market a product that offers greater functionality, ergonomics, agility and safety. In the United States and Europe there was already superior equipment to Brazil, which served as a reference for the development of the Naja, but we created a completely new engineering,” explained Lucas Möller, director of Lukatec.
According to Möller, one of the key benefits of the Naja is the ability to avoid damaging the beads of tubeless truck tyres, thereby avoiding premature disposal. In addition, the tool has an innovative design, which
allows complete disassembly without the need to lift the tyre off the ground. "With existing tools, the operator needed to disassemble the lower bead by lifting the tyre, which is not suitable ergonomically. With the Naja, operators can work with less effort, with more accessibility and without risk of injuring their back, "he noted.
Approved in the Brazilian market, the Naja entered the North American market in 2010, the largest in the world in equipment for the assembly and disassembly of truck tyres. "Until then, most of the tools of this type sold in the USA were manufactured there. But since 2010, we have gained a very significant participation in this market, "explained Möller. "The Naja entered the US market thanks to a partnership with a long-standing American-owned company, a manufacturer of a range of tools for tyre maintenance, and they started to market Lukatec equipment in the market there using their own brand." Currently, the United States accounts for 65 per cent of the volume of Najas produced by Lukatec. Each year the tool grows in terms of sales volume, and in 2018 sales surpassed the 50,000-unit mark.
"From the Naja we created the whole Lukatec business model,” said Möller. “Quality, strength and innovation, which are today the pillars of the brand, were forged during the creation of the Naja, and this concept was transferred to our entire product line. We can say that it was a very solid base for Lukatec to get where it eventually arrived with its machines - technologies and innovations in the area of robotics for tyre retreading ", concluded Möller.
high volume (min 2,000 tyres and above per month) retreaders used to be able to afford a cushion gum extruder machine supplied by a main single source/brand, Akarmak is now able to offer a more affordable cushion gum extruder and precured tread builder in a single station. Akarmak says it has sold the AKR550 machine to customers starting at 500 tyres per month all the way up to 2,000 tyres per month.
Akarmak Offers Increased Efficiencies for Small and Medium Sized Retreaders
Alsdorf, Germany based 4JET GmbH has announced a 15 million Euro investment package led by French investment company Jolt Capital, whereby the Paris based investor will join shareholders e-Capital and CEO and Founder Jörg Jetter to develop the company.
4JET, through its subsidiaries 4JET Technologies & 4JET Microtech, develops advanced process technology and integrated production systems for laser-based surface processing with a focus on technical glass, automotive components and tyres.
The investment is primarily geared towards allowing 4JET to further expand its global delivery platforms for sales and service, and also to accelerate a number of promising
development initiatives.
In parallel to the injection of the new capital, a corporate reorganisation has also been completed to further foster efficiency in the next stage of 4JET’s development. Driven by multiple
underlying trends towards increased usage of functional glass coatings, a push for tyre traceability, as well as a steady rise in the number of uses for laser cleaning technology, both divisions of 4JET are expected contribute to a 40 per cent growth in revenues for 2018, with 2019 expected to be another bumper year. Commenting on the deal, Founder and CEO Jörg Jetter said, “4JET has been a growth story since the beginning and we’re confident that this is set to continue for the foreseeable future, especially so with Jolt’s investment and added value. Given their impressive track record as high-tech hardware investors, teaming up made a lot of sense, and already we’re seeing the benefits of this.”
€15m Financing Package for 4JET
Akarmak’s AKR550 Cushion Gum Extruder with Precured Tread Builder machine addresses the main topic: “Better; Faster; Cheaper”, which was the key area of focus at the Asian Retread Conference at the start of October. In particular, the machine offers:
• Better: Better and higher quality retreaded tyres – automatic cushion gum filling; low failure retreaded tyres.
• Faster: Faster and quicker operation time – 15 minute labour savings compared to traditional manual cushion gum and tread building applications in two separate stations.
• Cheaper: Lower material and labour costs – 5 Euro per tyre in terms of material cost savings as well as the end of cement use.
All in all, the AKR550 has been
40 Retreading Business