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RUSSIAN RETREADER PETROMASTER REMAINS UPBEAT DESPITE CERTAIN CHALLENGES Russia now needs more retreads due to its turn to the East: Photo Credit – Navarka A much-anticipated hike in demand on the Russian retreading market has not happened yet, though business is generally going well, Konstantin Imirov, head of the trade and service department of the St. Petersburg-based tyre group of companies Petromaster, told local publication Excavator. The company runs a truck tyre retreading plant, which it hoped would see a hike in turnover in times like these when an increasing number of clients seek cost-saving solutions. “A hike \[in demand on the reading market\] hasn’t happened. People are running on Russian and Chinese branded tyres because the retread price is not much lower than that of a new tyre. And in the long-term planning, they try to buy a new tyre to get a higher mileage,” Imirov said. In general, Imirov said the Russian retreading market is well-balanced: business is largely continuing as usual. “The plant is working, retreads are being sold, there is just no spike in demand. Let’s wait and see what sales we are will have in autumn on the verge of the winter season,” Imirov stated. The picture is similar in the Russian tyre market, where despite sanctions and logistics turmoil, Petromaster saw its turnover remain stable. “Providing that no shocks happen, the market will grow – we will see again the volumes we used to have or even bigger.” Turbulence is over In 2022, the Russian tyre industry was in turmoil, as the key raw materials were imported, and Western sanctions disrupted supply channels. “Problems were eventually solved. Somebody found alternative supply schemes; others started to manufacture \[necessary raw materials\] themselves,” Imirov said. “We had some difficulties with the restructuring of logistics. Previously, P.. 56