NASHVILLE — Bridgestone Americas Inc. has begun offering a "powerline" of Bandag-brand retreads, dubbed MaxTread, that's being pitched to small- and mid-size fleets that traditionally haven't used retreads.
As such, Bridgestone is treating the MaxTread line — which covers eight existing tread patterns for drive, trailer and all-position fitments — as an alternative standalone "brand" to budget-priced new tires, as well as a single-unit solution for drivers who need a one-off tire purchase due to a roadside emergency.
The MaxTread business concept provides customers with an "efficient and cost-effective way to capitalize on the reliability and profitability of retreads," Keith Iwinski, director of marketing, Bandag, U.S. and Canada, Bridgestone, said.
Bridgestone said it also sees the MaxTread program as way to introduce small- to medium-sized fleets to the benefits of asset tracking/casing management.
The line includes trailer, drive and all-position fitments for light-truck, waste, long-haul, severe-service and pickup-and-delivery applications.
The MaxTread program comprises retreads produced by licensed Bandag retreaders in the areas where they are being sold using qualified casings selected by the retreaders themselves.
Because of the nature of the offering — which caters predominantly to "local book" (non-national account) business) — promoting and selling the MaxTred concept will fall primarily to independent commercial dealerships selling Bridgestone- and Firestone-brand truck tires and which are part of the Bandag dealers' network, along with Bridgestone's GCR locations.
The Bandag MaxTread line includes the eight popular Bandag retread patterns:
- Drive position: BDM, BDLT, BDV, DR5.3, DR4.3
- Trailer position: TR4.1, Eclipse
- All-position: BRM
Bridgestone said licensed Bandag retreaders verify all their products for quality using shearography, a technology that scans each casing from bead to bead before it goes through the retrading process.
All Bandag MaxTread tires are backed by a lifetime limited warranty featuring 100% coverage for the life of the tread. The company even offers an extended warranty for MaxTread when using a first time retread ("virgin" casing).
Bridgestone is backing the launch of MaxTread with merchandising and promotional materials available through the company's Bridgestonemarketing.com site.