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INTERVIEW
Interview: Leandro Rigon
cost, and a great solution to the users, as well as to be present and supportive ever y minute in something that guarantees our participation in the world’s retreading activity. Since our goal is to provide solutions, building a relationship with our customers to understand their needs and their business model is a must. I think being in the retreading business, rather than simply being in a business, to succeed you’re going to need to be passionate about it and support the industr y as a whole. So, Vipal is ver y involved with retreading associations around the world. It is also ver y important to bring the message from the government to the end user that retreading is part of a safe and economically viable process, and which is key industr y for the circular economy concept.
RB
In the European market the two key premium brands aimed at independent retreaders have traditionally been Kraiburg and Marangoni. Both of these companies have a long-standing histor y in the segment and continue to draw strong brand loyalty. What strategies are you following to continue to penetrate the market – and how, if you have to penetrate the market by becoming a second supplier to some retreaders, do you elevate the perception of the Vipal brand in those circumstances?
LR
Well, a premium brand is not easy to build and is even more difficult in a market you’re not born into. Any market you step into, you have to prove your product is more efficient, but you also need to have something more to offer, and it is a different thing talking about a premium product and a premium brand. So, brand recognition starts on your product, but goes away further in the consumer’s mind, as their concerns are not only that the product will perform, but they need to see that you support it and that whenever they need you, you are there. So, a part of the product you also need a complete line, as
well as technical and commercial service.
Of course, we acknowledge
that in Europe, which is a mature and conservative market, the brands mentioned in this question are the most powerful names in the independent market, and we have a great respect towards the work and the products that they have. For us, competing with high standard products like these and others not mentioned, is a great experience and fills us with respect for what they have been doing all these years. So, in regards to the retreaders’ choices, our goal is to gain more and more confidence from them, as we are advanced in our hard work to have the product and the package they need to consider as a premium brand as well and maybe being among the first brand options in their minds.
I think that being a foreign supplier is harder work than the locals, and it makes us even more focused and dedicated to our projects. You can see when looking to different markets and their characteristics like in South America. We are the leader here and the first option of the independent retreaders. So, being a premium brand has a lot to do with market history and traditions, of course. The European brands here are hardly seen, but it doesn’t mean they are out of the list of premium brands. So, Brazil has a ver y developed retreading market, in which nowadays the retreadability is about 1.3 retreads per new tyre. It means that the market is also looking for premium products and good options for the different levels of offers that the retreaders should work in their market.
We have a lot of fleets here in Brazil and South America that have ver y specific controls on the performance of the tyres, the costs, and retreading here
is ver y important as the Brazilian market is self- sufficient in tyres from new to retreads, and so we try to work with our customers and to give to our end-user the best
option. We are ver y confident in tyres from new to retreads, so we try to work with our
We recently interviewed Vipal’s International Business Director, Leandro Rigon for our new online Podcast series, The Retreadcast, focusing specifical on the Brazilian company’s strategy to enhance the Vipal brand in international markets. The edited version used in the Retreadcast is reprinted here. The complete interview, in
and strips for the hot cure system. There were only a few producers in Brazil and South America at that time. It was a ver y fast development.
In the late 90s we started with our network which covers the Latin American market. This was a big step for Vipal because at that time most retreaders were attached to either a new
which Leandro goes on to discuss the company’s second line brand, Ruzi, the company’s new machinery department and Vipal’s plans in Asian markets, can be viewed in full on our Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =berjIvibgVE&feature=youtu.be
Retreading Business
Over the years Vipal has gradually increased its strength as a supplier of tread rubber in many global regions to the point that the company can now arguably claim to be the largest tread rubber supplier to the retreading industry in the world. How successful do you feel the company has been in translating that position into status as far the position of the Vipal brand is concerned?
Leandro Rigon
Vipal Rubber was created not to be a small family business only. It was created with the aim of being an option for the Brazilian market at a time when only imported products were available for tyre repairs. In this way the company started to look into retreading as well. In the 80s we started to work in the area of retreading materials when we launched hot cure products such as camelback
tyre company programme or to one of a few independent suppliers. That gave us good exposure to the market, and the programme we created got good engagement from the retreaders because we were covering several brands of new tyres with a guarantee, carr ying out a lot of training and working together with our customers. I think that was the best type of programme for our retreaders in Latin America. The company always looked into bringing new technology and good products with the will to bring products that could provide a better performance and a better application. Good performance in the factories and good results on the road were always the way Vipal saw its role in the business.
RB
What particular measures and strategies have you been employing to develop and elevate the awareness and positioning of the Vipal brand, and how does that differ across different global markets?
LR
Our strategies are ver y simple. We mean to offer a state-of-the- art product, at a comparative
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