FORT MILL, S.C. — As part of its drive to expand the ContiLifeCycle retread business throughout North America, Continental Tire the Americas is planning to open a retread process development and training center in the coming year.
The new center, to be located at an as-yet undisclosed site, is scheduled to be open by the second quarter, Conti said.
Conti noted that growing the retread business ties into the company's "Vision 2030" corporate strategy, which is focused on customer-centric alignment, ambitious sustainability goals and smart digital-tire-monitoring solutions as differentiators in the marketplace.
"Good quality tires are capable of being retreaded several times, helping fleets save money in the long run," Shaun Uys, head of replacement truck tires U.S. for Conti, said. "Our ContiLifeCycle retread process and network of retreaders ensure fleets can capitalize on their tire investment."
Retreading also ties into Conti360° Solutions, Continental's all-round tire management solution for fleets. This business solution covers the complete commercial tire life cycle for fleets, from tire selection, monitoring and reporting and emergency roadside service to retreading.
Retreading quality tire casings is an example of a mobility solution that can offer both cost savings and environmental benefits, Conti said.
Besides the environmental benefits offered by retreading — a savings of up to 15 gallons of oil versus a new tire — each truck tire retread creates 1.7 pounds of buffing dust during the retreading process, the company said.
Over the past five years, nearly 11 million pounds of rubber were reprocessed from Continental's retreading network in North America into varied products such as tracks, roads, playgrounds and athletic fields.
Continental said its truck tires can be retreaded up to three times, generating a number of life-cycles with a quality carcass.
Conti launched its ContiLifeCycle retreading business in the Americas in 2011.
At last report, Conti's network of CLC-licensed retread plants stood at 21 in the U.S., including six operated by the company's BestDrive unit, and 18 in Canada.
