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REIFEN ESSEN
Bandag Claims Market Share Growth in Europe
application and after use, Sergio Ferrara from Tap Rap says there will be no bulge in the tyre and no flat spot. The tyre will have been repaired to as good as new. Tap Rap repair patches have been around for a few years now and their role in the market has steadily grown, with clients in almost ever y mining area in the world.
The use of the patches has grown so wide now that Tap Rap has partnered with a training company that provides proper education to repair shops in the mining sector. At the same time along with Fernando Mazón Blanco of Mazón Vulcanizidos and Neumaticos of Spain, a new
operation has been established called ATROS.
The aim of ATROS is to audit waste OTR stocks where they have arisen and examine the tyres for suitability for repair. This is a new service and by bringing back into service through Tap Rap repairing tyres that were previously declared unserviceable, ATROS is saving mine operators money by extending the life of their tyre stocks. Fernando’s team inspect the waste tyre stockpiles and identify those tyres suitable for repair and as well as saving operators money they are also helping to resolve part of the issue of what to do with end of life OTR tyres.
There are some market observers who might consider Bandag’s market profile in Europe to have been relatively low key in recent years but according to Steven Janssens, Executive Manager, Retread Franchise Operations at Bridgestone Europe, nothing could be further from the truth.
“Bandag is very important for Bridgestone in Europe”, says Janssens, “and our Bandag brand has certainly increased its market share within the last two years. Indeed, according to Janssens Bandag has signed up a total of 12 new franchised dealers in Europe since the beginning of 2010, including Reifen Lorenz in Germany, Edler in Austria and Eurotreads 93 in the UK as well as dealers in Italy and several Eastern
European countries. Indeed, the company also claims that individual franchisees are also increasing their share, Eurotreads 93 being a case in point. According to Janssens, the Norton Canes based retreader has doubled its production levels since switching to Bandag.
A crucial aspect, according to Janssens has been the launch of Bandag’s Total Tyre Life Concept which Bridgestone has been encouraging its Truck Point network to support.
Although Bridgestone is still looking to improve its coverage in certain areas the company says it will essentially be focussing on quality improvements in the future, developing existing dealers and segmenting according to the needs of specific dealers.
Protec – Crossing Borders
German retreader Protec was exhibiting at Essen for the first time, although Managing Director Michael Hoheneder was a regular visitor to the show. Michael explained that he was attending the show in the hope of finding new markets in Eastern Europe and also to make contact with casings suppliers as casing shortages were a big problem for
retreading at the moment.
Protec is a German firm but recently relocated its production across the border into the Czech Republic where property and labour costs gave a commercial benefit. Protec imports much of its production back into Germany but is keen to grow its presence in the Eastern Euopean markets.
ATROS – Reclaiming OTR Tyres with Tap Rap
Tap Rap patches grew out of a need to make professional repairs on earthmover and agricultural tyres where sidewall damage and larger wounds could previously have made a tyre beyond repair.
The wire reinforced patches mimic the steel belt construction of the tyre and are much stiffer than most comparable patches on the market.
They require special training and