Page 28 - Retrading Business N100 2022-01
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pressures from cheap tyres from Asia, and the part worn tyre market.
players like Radburg from Romania, medium sized operators who didn’t overstretch themselves like Reifen Hinghaus (King-Meiler), Re- cauchutagem Nortenha (Recnor) and Malatesta, or retreaders who have developed highly specialised niche markets like Recauchutagem 31 (Fedima) and Black Star.
A MAJOR CASUALTY
The biggest casualty, of course, was Technic Group who went into re- ceivership at the end of 2000, less than 3 years after it was the subject of a management buyout. The reasons for the company’s failure were manifold including most of the reasons already mentioned. However, the company did make an ill-advised venture into truck retreading in the late 90s, and, in an attempt to continually maintain its quantities, became over-reliant on large wholesale and retail accounts such as ATS and Gummi-Mayer, which were ultimately unable to maintain their quantities.
The Technic brand was eventually re-purchased by original founder Phil Blood and Lucia Farmer (the widow of co-founder Tony Farmer) and an attempt made to reinvigorate the brand, although the new company was closed in 2005.
So, what now for the passenger retreading sector? Anyone would be forgiven for thinking the future was all doom and gloom, but there are now signs that there is light at the end of the tunnel. In the late 1990s Technic Group Managing Director Peter Webber talked with optimism about an increased awareness of environmental issues on
“Increased interest in the Circular Economy is now giving grounds for optimism that the fortunes of passenger retreaders are about to take a turn for the better.”
the part of potential clients that offered a positive future for the pass- enger retreading sector. Ultimately this trend has come twenty years too late for Webber, but increased interest in the Circular Economy is now giving grounds for optimism that the fortunes of passenger re- treaders is about to take a turn for the better.
We have seen new tyre manufacturers like Continental openly showing an interest in passenger retreading, and the emergence of projects such as the joint Mobivia/Black Star plan to produce pass- enger retreads in the old Bridgestone plant in Béthune. What is cer- tain is that those players who have survived during the lean years once demand starts to increase once again.
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