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THAILAND
Lalinthp Chaweenate of M Tyre and Retreaders Co Ltd
Muang Ngarm Rubber Looks Positive
Thai retreading companies are expanding their precure capacities as they foresee expansion of the precure market in the years to come. The retreaders who have a presence in hot cure production are expanding their precure capacities while limiting their hot cure manufacture. Even some of the major players are shifting their precure facility out of combined facilities to new locations to cater for the expanding precure market. Muang Ngarm Rubber Co Ltd is located at Nakornratchasima,
about 260 km from Bangkok and is regarded as one of the biggest hot cure retreaders in Thailand. The company retreads around 7,000 tyres per month. It retreads 70 per cent by the traditional hot process and 30 per cent by the cold cure version. “Demand for precure is increasing and we are planning to shift the precure retreading to a
precure plant to the compounding facility, where it is making an all new separate facility for precure retreading.
Muang Ngarm Rubber has been involved in retreading from almost three decades. It has a a separate compounding facility manufacturing about 200 tonnes of liner per month to cater for its hot and cold cure plants. “A small mount, about 20 per cent of the total liner production, we supply to the open market”.
When asked about plans of expanding the liner production, Pat said, “We do not have enough capacity to supply outside the company. More retreaders are joining the business every year in Thailand and they can be our market, therefore, we are planning to double liner production capacity next year.” The company has already ordered machiner y for the
new facility, about 7 km from here,” informed Pat Lapanum, Manger, Muang Ngam Rubber Co Ltd. The company plans to expand towards the precure side while limiting the hot cure production in the future. “Total retreading would remain be the same but the share of the precure version will increase once the new separate precure plant becomes operational in 2013,” Pat said. It is shifting the
proposed liner capacity expansion. Though it already has two
banbur ys, which are enough for the liner production expansion, it is buying some more supporting equipment.
Currently, the company has two chambers of 22 and 13 tyres of procured from Newera, whilst the hot cure plant has more than 50 moulds. It retreads only truck tyres plus around 500 OTRs per month.
Chonburi Choktavorn Operating Below Capacity
Chonburi Choktavorn Co Ltd is facing a labour shortage and is running its precure operation below capacity. The company has got two tyre chambers but only one is operational. “We could increase production anytime but the labour shortage is a real problem as locals have preferences for other work,” said Khanet Jittraphorn of Chonburi Choktavorn. According to him, “Locals prefer jobs in more lucrative sectors and we have to depend on foreign labour,” he complained. About half of the company’s workforce is from Cambodia.
The Chonburi based company retreads 2000 tyres per month with 80 per cent produced by the hot cure process. When asked about the reasons for merely 20 per cent of the tyres being retreaded by the precure process, Khanet said, “We
also want people to adopt precure more but they come in with casings in very bad shape forcing us to retread only by the hot process,” he stated. He further said, “The share of the precure market has been improving for sometime but hot cure still has the majority share in the Thai market and it will remain so for some years to come.” He set up the plant more than three decades ago but forayed into cold cure process eight years ago.
Chonburi Choktavorn is using local equipment, retreading truck and light truck tyres by the precure process on a 16 tyre chamber, while one 5 tyre chamber is laying idle. It has 30 moulds to retread tyres by the hot cure process. It sources liner for hot and precure process from a sister concern based at Rayong.
around 1,700 tyres per month. The plant operates on local machinery and liner and is operating below capacity. The company has been coping with an inconsistency in liner supply for the last few months. “Liner procurement is creating trouble for us recently as at times we do not have enough liner to run the plant,” complained Lalinthp Chaweenate of M Tyre and
equipment has been procured locally from Indra. When asked what other challenges are being faced by the company, Lalinthp replied, “A shortage of trained local workers is also a major problem. The local Thai’s avoid working in retread plants due to the tough working conditions.” This restriction means that the company is unable to run the plant to the full
Retreaders Co Ltd.
Once liner supply resumes regularity, the company plans to ramp-up production to 2,000 tyres per month. It sources around 20 tonnes of liner per month from Indra Rubber to run the dedicated truck tyre precure plant. Set up around six years ago, the plant operates on two 15 tyre chambers from Newera. The other plant
capacity. “We have the capacity but not enough workforce to run the plant,” she said.
Moreover, M Tyre avoids employing foreign workers, if trained labour is available locally. “We do not use foreign workers from the neighbouring countries of Cambodia and Laos. We prefer to employ only the locally available workforce,” Lalinthp stated.
M Tyre Facing Labour and Liner Supply Woes
The province of Chonburi is heavily industrialised with well-developed shipping, transportation, tourism and manufacturing industries and is second only to Bangkok in terms of economic output. Chonburi means the City of Water and is home to
more than 20 big, medium and small retreaders but this correspondent chose a few to visit in each category. M Tyre and Retreaders Co Ltd is a medium size company in Chonburi run by a husband and wife duo, retreading
46 Retreading Business