Italmatic Offers Global Reach

Retread manufacturing equipment and garage supply specialist Italmatic Srl may be based in Italy, but the company has long established global intentions. In addition to the Italian headquarters, a far eastern wing (50:50 joint venture, Italmatic Asia) was founded in Singapore in 1984 and the company also has a network of offices in the USA and the UK. Now, 40 years since the company produced its first buffing machines, the goal is to serve customers throughout Europe, Asia and North America with „full technological, training and marketing support.”

In 1969 Italmatic, with the encouragement of its domestic customers, Italmatic demonstrated its international intentions by exhibiting the company’s buffing machine at the London Motor Show. According to the company, initial sales of the buffers paved the way for Italmatic’s export business. Then, as demand for the machines grew, it was not long before leading retreading factories in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and other Asian countries installed Italmatic equipment. Company literature states that Italmatic is the largest retreading machinery maker in Europe and as such the company produces hundreds of buffers, extruders and inspection machines each year. The majority of products are exported to countries including South Africa, Australia, United States and the Middle and Far Eastern nations.

13 years after Italmatic founded its Italmatic Asia 50:50 joint venture with entrepreneur Lily Yeo, this branch of the company has grown to the point that it has supplied equipment and provided training to more than 200 retread factories in East Asia. In 2007 the business established a training centre in Jinan, China in order to offer technical support to customers in the region. Italmatic also has representative offices in Beijing and branches in Kuala Lumpur and Hongkong.

Now, following after a cooperation agreement with retreading materials supplier Goodway (which began in 2005), is particularly strong in Malaysia, where the customers has 100 customers. However, the company is said to be active across basically the whole of Asia, with the exception of India. Speaking in an earlier news report, Lily Yeo told journalists that in the beginning the hardest part of the business was explaining just how wide the Italmatic range really is. Prior to the foundation of Italmatic Asia, the company’s Asian representative had apparently only been promoting a small proportion of what is a comprehensive offering. Having started off with buffing machines Italmatic’s machinery range now includes inspection machines, builders, extruders, presses, matrices and the company is well-know for its autoclaves. Then there are retreading accessories – buffing blades, carbide wheels, mini-extruders, curing tubes, bladders, envelopes; and even tyre shop consumables – balancing weights, valves and tyre repairing materials. The tools and tyre repair accessories range was completed in 1983. Over the years Italmatic has developed a reputation for offering everything from high class retread manufacturing plant to tyre shop consumables. The company’s factories in Milan and Pisa, Italy manufacture a complete line in tyre retreading equipment and accessories for both hot and cold systems. According to company literature these are „fully equipped with advance production lines as well as the latest in computer design.” However, Italmatic is also ranked among the largest automotive accessory (balancing weights, patches, tubeless valves) producers in Europe, with the company’s products used as OE on new cars and in large tyre dealer networks. In addition Italmatic produces rubberized rolls for the paper, and metal industries; and is a leading producer of autoclaves for applications in the plastics, glass, hose and composite sectors.