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COUNTRY
REPORT - RUSSIA
To an outside observer, the Russian retreading sector has not been hurt by the economic turmoil caused by Western sanctions and the mass exodus of Western businesses from the country. Most plants are being commissioned. However, there is more to this scenario than meets the eye.
In October 2022, Kursk-based company AirTire announced plans to invest 950 million roubles ($16 million) in launching the largest Rus- sian retreading plant near Zheleznogorsk, Kursk Oblast, not far from the Ukrainian border. The plant will be designed to retread 780 off- the-road (OTR) tyres per year, employing 180 workers.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that AirTire is currently searching for investments. One of the rationales behind launching the new retreading plant, the company said, is that the demand on the Russian market surged after the departure of the world’s leading tyre manufacturers. “OTR tyre retreading in Russia had always been rele- vant, while after the withdrawal from the country of the big foreign manufacturers, it has become even more relevant. For many [compa- nies], using retreaded tyres now is a way to survive,” a spokesperson for AirTire commented.
NO MORE CERTIFIED OPERATIONS
Russia experiences a lack of OTR retreaded tyres, said Sergey Podoinikov, executive director of the Russian tyre management association Ecoshin- soyuz. “Russia is a mining country, and OTR tyres are one of the most expensive consumables along with fuel. On the other hand, nowadays in Russia, there are only a few plants for OTR tyre retreading; this niche is free,” Podoinikov said.
In general, the Russian retreading market is far from saturation. In par- technology providers, according to Podoinikov. One of the consequenc- Michelin, Goodyear and Nokian Tyres, is that such operations are unlikely to be opened in the country in the foreseeable future.
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