HOUSTON — Brazilian retread materials producer Borrachas Vipal A/S recently debuted its RZL30 tread at the IANA Intermodal Expo 2016 in Houston.
The event — geared to the international shipping and logistics industry — was held Sept. 18-20 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
Vipal Rubber, which markets tire retreading materials in Latin America, had on display for the event's roughly 1,800 visitors the company's RZL30 tread, designed for bias-ply tires in the intermodal application.
Visitors to the company's booth included a customer representing Morton Supplies Inc. in Morton, Ill., which Vipal said uses its intermodal tread as well its orbicushion strip rubber used in the retreading process. Other visitors were affiliated with shipping — including container carriers, railway and maritime companies.
Representing Vipal at the expo were Leandro Rigon, international business director; Antonio Brito, North American branch manager; Frederico Schmidt, U.S. branch coordinator; Jean Barros, Mexico branch coordinator; Leonardo Oliveira, Vipal Rubber technical and sales representative; and Amaramh Velazquez, the company's sales representative for the Western U.S.
“It was quite important for the Vipal team to participate in this trade show again, following our visit last year. This gives us closer contact with our local customers and the opportunity to make new connections,” Mr. Rigon said.
“IANA is a key event for the intermodal supply chain in the United States, generating networking, deals and information exchange. It serves as a venue for exhibiting industry products and services and for discussing the sector's issues and challenges. Shipping companies, road and rail companies, ocean carriers, equipment manufacturers, technology providers and others gather for the event.”
Vipal Rubber was founded in 1973 in Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul. The company, which said it has a presence on every continent, opened its third distribution center in the U.S., in Los Angeles, in 2013, “to handle the growth of its exports to the North American market.” The facility has storage capacity for 1,500 pallet positions for its coverage of the western and central states of Canada as well the West Coast and some midwestern states in the U.S. The company's other two North American distribution centers are in Norfolk, Va., and in Miami. It also has distribution centers in South America, Europe and Oceania.
As part of its strategy, Vipal said it has dedicated one of its three factories in Brazil for the export market. It operates two plants in Nova Prata and one in Feira de Santana, Bahia, that total about 160,000 square meters for manufacturing capacity.