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AUTOPROMOTEC
Marangoni, of course had a large presence at this show on their home territory
New Equipment from Akar Makina
The Akar Makina team were pleased to announce their new orbitread tyre builder for OTR tyres
Turkish equipment manufacturer Akar Makina has announced the introduction of a new Orbitread type builder capable of covering all OTR sizes. According to Sadettin Ak, the company first supplied the machine to a Turkish retreader in March and is now looking to commence mass production of the machine.
Meanwhile, Akar Makina says it is making progress in its plans to expand globally. The
company is now active in the USA, having appointed Pelmar Engineering and Shamrock as agents. Closer to home the company is also currently setting up a truck tyre retread facility in Azerbaijan.
Based in Eskisehir, Turkey, Akar Makina promotes itself as a one-stop-shop for retreading machiner y, supplying buffers, builders and autoclaves, as well as turnkey retreading facilities.
Elgi was back as a brand as well as an equipment supplier, its presence in Europe lifted by the recent acquisition of Rubber Resources Ltd.
Autopromotec Benefits from Buoyant Retread Sector
As far as the retreading industry is concerned, exhibitor attendance was also quite good. Although several key rubber suppliers (notably Kraiburg, Bandag, Galgo and Goodway) did not have a stand at the show, many others did. The presence of equipment manufacturers was also positive, reflecting the increased amount of
investment available. The was also some new machinery developments, most notably in the area of extruders/building equipment
The next edition of Autopromotec will take place in Bologna, between the 22nd and the 26th of May 2013.
What a difference a couple of years makes. Autopromotec 2009 was held in a semi-funereal atmosphere as retreaders discussed the 25 per cent (and more) downturn they had experienced. This year it was back to business as usual with European retreaders experiencing a buoyant market.
In the retreading hall there was a definitely a much more positive feel this year. The talk from equipment suppliers was of retreaders being once again prepared to invest. There was a lot of talk about rubber prices but most retreaders are now aware and accept the pressure placed on suppliers by rubber prices and availability. They also understand that high rubber prices can be an advantage to retreaders.
The organisers, Promotec srl also reported excellent results. The show as a whole saw 103,666 visitors over the five days, Italian visitors making up 85,142 of this. Overseas visitors were exceptional – up 11 per cent, whilst exhibitor numbers were up 2 per cent at 1473. According to the organizers, the growth of the
international participation in Autopromotec 2011 is a reflection of the attractive capacity of the automotive aftermarket, a driving sector for the world economy. According to the organisers, the growth of foreign exhibitors and visitors year after year is the result of a number of relationships established in several countries across 5 continents with important local associations whose partnership has been decisive for international promotion and for the organization of groups of delegates at the exhibition). Delegations of buyers from South Korea, Egypt, Japan, India, Iran, Lebanon, Morocco, Mexico, Russia and the United States attended the show, confirming Autopromotec’s status as a direct meeting point between international manufacturers and buyers.
Moreover, Autopromotec directly provided for the organization of groups of commercial and institutional delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Egypt and Turkey, raising their total number to over 100.
16 Retreading Business
TRM Launches Black Dragon Extruder Builder
TRM utilised the Autopromotec exhibition in Bologna to carry out the formal launch of its new, fully automatic building machine “Black Dragon”. Suitable for car and truck tyres from 13” to 24.5” in diameter, the machine has already undergone three years of trials and has now been sold to a number of prominent car tyre retreaders including Insa Turbo, Kingpin, Ihle and Malatesta. Now the company hopes to
expand sales to some of the leading truck tyre retreaders too.
According to Sales Director Rolando Regolini, the Black Dragon has been developed as a support to the retreading industry and a recognition of the fact that retreaders must remain competitive with new tyres. The machine, which processes car tyres in one minute, offers a number of savings, resulting in a payback