Page 40 - Retrading Business N103 2022-4

CALEDONIAN TYRES SWITCHES TO VIPAL
LATEST
According to Keay, Caledonian Tyres have now sold all remaining Bandag product and have switched the branding on their premises over to that of their new supply partner. The company is currently producing between 30-40 retreads per day with production growing steadily as the company expands its customer base. The company currently sells 90% of its tyres direct to fleets, but according to Keay, the company is now sowing the seeds for expansion with dealers in order to grow business as the Vipal brand gains traction in the local market. The potential, says Keay, is for the factory to produce up to 2000 tyres per month.
Caledonian Tyres was established in 2006 by Barry McNeill who retired five years ago. Keay, who has over 15 years’ experience with the company, joined Caledonian as a driver and eventually rose to become Managing Director when the company was acquired in a buy-out in 2017 by current CEO Nurez Abdulah Kamani and Keay.
The company is also involved in the nascent tyre recycling project SSH Recycling, which is currently in the process of establishing a major tyre recycling facility in nearby Linwood, which is currently scheduled to be completed in early 2024 and which Keay says will have the capacity to recycle up to 210,000 tonnes of scrap tyres per year.
NEWS
Paisley, Scotland - based retreader Caledonian Tyres Ltd has announced that its long-term franchise agreement with Bridgestone-Bandag has now come to an end with immediate effect and that the company will henceforward be working with Vipal.
The move represents a major step forward for Vipal in the UK market with Caledonian now becoming the first UK retreader to switch over its branding completely to the Brazilian tread producer. Fabricio Nedeff, Commercial Manager for Vipal Europe, and Diego Burchert, who is responsible for
technical support, were recently present at Caledonian’s Paisley HQ to see the new Vipal branding being put up in the company’s reception area.
According to Caledonian Tyres’ Managing Director, Bob Keay, the switch to Vipal transformation”, with the company’s new brand being accepted in the marketplace quicker than expected, a fact which Keay puts down to the quality of the Vipal product as well as the company’s long- term relationships with key fleets across Scotland.
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