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SOUTH AMERICA
celebrated Tipler’s entry into the Chilean market and began consolidating its expansion plan in America." In recent years , the Tipler brand has started exporting retreading products to Argentina , Uruguay , Ecuador and Bolivia and must now increase by over 30 per
cent the volume of exported material ," informed Richard Suarez, Commercial Director of Tipler . In the coming months, three more South American countries will be integrating the export route of the brand, more than doubling the volume exported monthly.
A group of retreading entrepreneurs from the ABR (Association of Brazilian Retreaders) was present at Autopromotec between 22 to 26 May in Bologna, Italy. The organisation also made a technical visit to an Italian company.
In addition to President Roberto de
Oliveira, joining the entourage from the ABR were Valter Armonas of Armonas Industrial Equipment ; Fabiano Santos , from Marangoni; Saulo Muniz Gonçalves of Moreflex and Regina de Oliveira representing Warmor Retreads.
Tipler has announced that it has carried out a strategic reorganisation of its manufacturing operations by separating two of its business units. The Tipler retreading brand will continue to be marketed with the traditional name of Tipler, whilst the company’s other brands and products for the retreading and rubber industries will be marketed under the name of Unique Rubber Technologies.
The consolidation by the São Leopoldo based company, who claim a position as the second largest manufacturer of products for retreading and rubber compounds in Latin America, will see Unique Rubber operating from Av Parobé 2323, whilst the Tipler brand will further strengthen its activities with a structure directed exclusively for Tipler Network Retreaders from its headquarters in Campinas, São Paulo State.
The reorganisation is being carried out due to the growth of the company’s plant for products for retreading and rubber compounds in recent years. Having invested heavily in the expansion of the manufacturing facility, the company has increased its production capacity by 40 per cent to over 240 thousand square metres, of which 65 thousand are dedicated to the manufacturing plant and plans to invest over the next five years to further expand its production capacity. The current production capacity is 6,600 tons per month of rubber compounds, 3,200 tons of treads and 2,000 tons of camelback and calendered rubber. Currently claiming a 22 per cent share of the total volume of retreading products consumed in Brazil, the company has tripled in size between 2009 and 2013 and set strategic planning goals, which include expansion into exports and new operations in Mercosur and other regions of Brazil. The goal is to double the current size of the company by 2017, also raising the share of
exports. The company's revenue is expected to reach close to R$ 400 million this year (about USD 181 million).
According to CEO Sergio de Faria Bica Jr, goals include strengthening the internationalisation of the company. "Even in 2014 we intend to expand the number of countries served and continents attended,” he said. Overall the U.S. market, the largest retreading market in the world, is responsible for the consumption of 17 million retreaded tyres per year, more than twice that of Brazil at 8.2 million units per year and the European Community with 7 million.
Unique is born with almost 40 years experience and the second largest operation in Latin America in volume. Unique Rubber Technologies has one of the most modern structures for rubber production in the Americas, and recently started to adopt the system of mini-factories in which each step of the production process acts as a supplier to the next step. Its industrial structure also has two laboratories equipped with apparatus for the testing of elastomers, which allows the research and development of new compounds and real-time control of the whole manufacturing process of rubber products. "This ensures that the products produced meet the quality standards required by each of our customers," explained Hermes Fagundes, industrial director of Unique.
The division currently produces products for several different brands, including Tipler, Borex, Baptista Rubbers, RecMaxx (DPaschoal), Network Rodar Rubbers, Novateck (Pirelli) among others, and rubber compounds for tyre manufacturers, technical automotive parts, conveyor belts and oil and gas industries.
The Tipler brand continues to grow, but now supported by Unique. In August, the company also
Only Half Brazilian Retreaders Conform with INMETRO Standard
According to the INMETRO website, by June 21, 2013, the number of Brazilian Retreaders registered by INMETRO was only about 50 per cent of the 1300 companies active in the segment. Well before November 19, 2012, when the period of adaptation to Ordinance No. 444 of the RAC (Regulatory Compliance Assessment ) ended, ABR had warned that the market needed to be mobilised into action , because without the regulation, retreading companies would not be able to operate.
The ABR stresses that it has requested the responsible agencies (Ipem and INMETRO) to carry out a monitoring program in the
retreading sector, in order to regularise the situation. Such a measure is provided for in Article 7 of Ordinance No. 444, which determines that "the enforcement of the provisions of this Ordinance, throughout the national territory, will be borne by INMETRO and public bodies linked to it by agreement delegation."
Non-compliant retreaders may have their activities interrupted if they do not register with INMETRO. In addition, they will have to pay a fine of up to R$ 50,000 (about EUR 16.000,00), In addition, according to Article 9 of Law 9.933/1999, "fines may be doubled in the case of recidivism."
Steinbichler and Lukatec have decided to join forces in an important partnership for Latin America in order to better meet the needs of their customers.
Lukatec is now one of the leading suppliers of equipment and tools for the retreading segment in Latin America. The addition of Steinbichler tyre inspection systems will expand the product portfolio of the company. With this
cooperation, Steinbichler says it will be even closer to its business partners in Latin America resulting in an increased level of customer service in all aspects.
Lukatec says it will contact clients in the coming weeks in order to give continuity to existing communications with Steinbichler.
Tipler Consolidates Changes in Business Strategy
Brazilian Group from ABR Visit Autopromotec
44 Retreading Business
Steinbichler and Lukatec Co-operate in Latin America