Truck Parts and Service | Heavy Duty Trucking, Aftermarket, Service Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/256915
19 Service Bay Retreading has evolved Arguably the best selling point to a customer con- sidering retreading today is how rapidly the industry has evolved. Harvey Brodsky, manag- ing director at the Retread Tire Association, says retread tires on North American highways today have a lower average adjustment rate than new tires, and have for a number of years. Adjustment rate is defi ned as the percent- age of faulty tires produced relative to the total number of a tires produced, i.e. how many tires go bad. Brodsky says Tier 1 North American new commercial tire suppliers have a cumula- tive adjustment rate of ap- proximately 1 percent. RTA's top manufacturers regularly post an adjustment rate of less than 1 percent. The rea- son for that, Brodsky says, is the evolution of retreading. The retread tires available in the market today aren't just new treads glued to an older casing. They are intricately tested, repaired and assem- bled to meet and exceed new tire standards. "Retreading a truck tire is a multiple-step manufacturing process performed by highly- trained technicians," says Todd Labbe, general manager, com- mercial retread at Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. Technology has evolved Brodsky says the technol- ogy being used in today's top retreading businesses are spe- cifi cally designed to weed out bad tires and make sure only the best casings are retreaded — keeping adjustment rates low and ensuring high-quality products. A shearography machine is a prime example of how technology has improved the retreading industry. Walenga says the machine works "like an x-ray," and re- veals cracks and imperfections in a tire casing invisible to the naked eye. "It's like giving a tire a CAT scan or an MRI," adds Brod- sky. "It allows an inspector to look through the sidewall of a casing and see if there are defi ciencies inside that might need to be repaired or prohibit retreading." Walenga says Bridgestone's Bandag retreading business also uses a Non-Destructive Tire analyzer (NDT) af- ter shearography testing. The NDT sends electricity though the tire and allows the manufacturer to identify pin- holes and other microscope damage. And both tests are just individual steps in a multi-point inspection all casings must pass to even be considered for retreading. "Retreading a truck tire is a multiple-step manufactur- ing process performed by highly trained technicians," says Todd Labbe, general manager, commercial retread at Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems. Retreading is environmentally friendly This is an excellent selling point for customers focused on green technology — such as municipalities. According to Labbe, 22 gallons of oil are required to produce a new truck tire but only seven gallons are needed to produce a retread. And be- cause a well maintained cas- ing can be retreaded multiple times, that savings can be doubled and tripled over the life of the retread. "Retreading a truck tire casing extends the tire's life, which means fewer tires enter landfi lls," he says. And this benefi t isn't new to the industry. Walt Weller, vice president at CMA, producer of Double Coin commercial tires, says retread- ing has been providing these benefi ts for decades. "Retreading was the origi- nal green technology," he says. Most major retreading companies also sell or reuse old treads to be recycled and used for other products, Brodsky says. Eventually all casings must be disposed of, but Brodsky says retreading makes sure a casing is used to the end of its useful life before being dumped. "Today's casings are built durable enough that they can W W W . T R U C K P A R T S A N D S E R V I C E . C O M F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 | T R U C K P A R T S & S E R V I C E Today's commercial vehicle tire retreaders rely on sophisticated technology to evaluate old casings and create new tires. There is no reason to not at least give [retreading] a shot. It dramatically reduces tire costs. – Guy Walenga, director, engineering, commercial products and technologies at Bridgestone