Page 16 - RB-74-15-3

AUTOPROMOTEC
Dario Andreani of ARNEC speaks during the ALARNEU meeting at Bologna
BIPAVER Prepares Next Step for Retyre Project
During the BIPAVER General Assembly at Bologna recently, initial details were released on how the European federation of tyre retreading associations plans to market the predictive tool for the labelling of commercial vehicle retreads that will be created as a result of the Retyre Project.
According to General Secretary Ruud Spuijbroek, all paperwork relating to the project has now been completed, and a final audit is expected shortly. Meanwhile, BIPAVER is still seeking political alignment with ETRMA on the subject of retread labelling and talks are ongoing with the head of labelling within ETRMA. According to BIPAVER, a new legal body is now in the process of being established in order to market the predictive tool. According to Spuijbroek, the need for a separate body has arisen due to the recent formalisation of BIPAVER as an association, which precludes it carrying out profit-making activities. The new legal body’s
shareholders will be BIPAVER’s member associations, and BIPAVER will continue to act as an intermediar y in relation to the project.
During the General Assembly BIPAVER reported that correlations between certain measurements still needed to be established, but this work, once finished, would lead to the creation of a beta-version of BIPAVER predictive tool.
The tool, said Spuijbroek, would eventually be implemented via a webshop environment and, although accessible to all who needed it, costs of access would be differentiated between members and non-members in order that those who invested in the project could recoup the investment. The aim, said Spuijbroek, is that BIPAVER members will be repaid for their investment within five years. Ruud Spuijbroek paid tribute to those members who had paid large amounts into the project, sometimes under great difficulty and without full information being available to them.
per cent of the Chilean retread market. The ratio of new tyres to retreads in Chile is currently 10:3 but this has fallen significantly in recent years – As recently as 2008, the ration was as high as 10:7. However, over that period the number of retreads in the market has fallen from 325,000 to 211,000 units. It is ARNEC’s job to try and arrest that decline, which Andreani put down partly to the influx of low quality new tyres, but also due to an adverse
environment for the management of standards in retread plants and poor management of the reputation of retreads by the industry.
According to Andreani, ARNEC’s strategy is now to improve the competitiveness of the retreading industry by monetising the environmental benefit it generates, participating in carbon markets, and generating movement in the relative prices of retreads and new tyres through the value chain.
ALARNEU to Hold Second Meeting During Fenatran – ARNEC Lays Down Strategy for Chilean Retread Market
Alpine Symbol for Retreaded Truck Tyres on the Horizon
ALARNEU the recently formed Federation of Latin American retreaders hosted an open presentation during the Autopromotec exhibition to outline what the new body stands for and how it intends to move forward in the future.
The Association pointed out three main roles for the Federation, namely persuading government bodies and hauliers not to accept low quality new tyres, co-ordinating the certification of materials and retread plants in the Latin American region, and stressing to government the environmentally friendly role retreads can play in the creation of a green economy.
16 Retreading Business
ALARNEU’s first meeting was held last year in Cancun where the emphasis was on setting the basis for the Association. The second meeting is scheduled to coincide with the Brazilian transport exhibition Fenatran, which takes place in November. Representatives of several of the South American retreader associations were present at the meeting. However, a particular position was put aside for Dario Andreani, the President of Chilean association ARNEC, who gave an outline of the current state of the Chilean retread market.
ARNEC members, said Andreani, currently represent around 65
During September 2014 a proposal for a supplement to ECE Regulation ECE 109 was proposed by France, according to which it would become possible to test and qualify retreaded truck tyres in order for them to carry the 3PMSF Alpine symbol, which denotes severe winter capabilities. At present retreads are not able to carry this symbol because the conditions for defining this class of tyres are defined under the new tyre regulation UN-ECE R117.
The background to this proposal and the implications for retreaders were discussed during the recent BIPAVER General Assembly in Bologna.
Under the proposal applications to carry the Alpine mark will be on a voluntary basis as long as no national laws refer to 3PMSF marked tyres in the context of winter tyre regulations. Individual retreaders wishing to carry the mark will need to
identify which tyres they wish to be defined as Alpine M+S, and apply under a worst-case- scenario system. This will require the provision of a test report for the WCS tyre, a list of relevant sizes to be produced using this pattern, and proof of conformity of production (COP). Four years COP will be required. Manufacturers of pre-cured retreads may refer to test documentations of their material suppliers (if existing) and retreaders producing retread patters both in pre-cure and mould-cure process (with comparable compounds) only need to qualify with one product type.
The proposal is set to be dealt with by the WP29 in June this year. BIPAVER says it is lobbying with a view to minimising the impact of the proposal on retreaders but it has no direct vote in GRRF (Working Party on Braking and Running Gear).