HOUSTON — Light truck tire retreading specialist TreadWright Inc. is upgrading manufacturing at its Houston plant to support a shift in production to 100-percent bead-to-bead as part of its "American Made" marketing message.
Treadwright most recently installed a pair of Italmatic MRP 90 automatic builders to go with 14 new Italmatic curing presses installed throughout 2017, according to TreadWright CEO Anthony Showen.
The Houston-based company, which specializes in the bead-to-bead remolding of all-terrain and mud-terrain light truck tires for the off-roading enthusiast community, invested $1.5 million over the past year to upgrade and expand manufacturing.
Mr. Showen said the plant's capacity will hit 500 units daily by this summer.
The new building equipment and presses allow Treadwright to make all of its products with Treadwright branding molded into the sidewalls, which Mr. Showen said is a key to promoting the products as high-quality U.S.-built alternatives to lower quality imports.
Oakland Park, Fla.-based Tesco-Italmatic L.L.C. installed the equipment, sourced from Cassina de' Pecchi, Italy-based Italmatic S.r.l.
Tesco-Italmatic is the North American business representative for Italmatic, which produces tire retreading equipment and accessories, tire molds; wheel balancing weights and tire repair material; and solid industrial tires.
Treadwright was recognized last year as the "Green Company" of the year by Business Intelligence Group (BIG), an honor Mr. Showen said reflects his company's commitment to sustainability.
"Sustainability has always been a key element to TreadWright's business strategy. Our customers range from hard-working farmers and ranchers to outdoor and adventure enthusiasts — and the one thing we all share is an appreciation for the beautiful land this country has to offer."
BIG cited Treadwright's efforts in providing durable, sustainable, remanufactured tires at an affordable price, minimizing the environmental impact of the millions of tires and tire compounds thrown out each year in the U.S. as reasons for the honor.
"Differentiation is a common theme among many of our winners, and we hope that trend continues," said Russ Fordyce, managing director of BIG. "Modern companies are now relying on their customers for inspiration and direction to improve and launch new products."