Black Star marks 500,000th retreaded ‘Leonard’ tyre at Bethune
Four years after we learnt of the project and a bit more than three years after retreaded tyre production started in January 2022, in June 2025, French retreading operation Black Star announced that it has achieved the milest of remanufacturing 500,000 tyres at its facility on the former Bridgestone new tyre factory in Béthune, France. According to the company, this symbolic milestone “embodies the success of an ambitious industrial project, the strength of a committed collective, and confirmation that another path to more sustainable mobility is possible”.
Continue Reading
Murfitts Industries investing £14 million in tyre pyrolysis facility at Michelin Stoke-on-Trent
Murfitts Industries is investing around £14 million in an end-of-life tyre processing project designed to recover the energy and materials within them. As part of the project, Murfitts has submitted plans for a materials recovery facility at Michelin’s Campbell Road retreaded tyre plant in Stoke-on-Trent. The facility is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2026.
Continue Reading
Vipal installs new buffer at Spanish partner Remusa’s retreading facility
Vipal Rubber has installed a new VR01 Smart Duo buffer at reatreader Recauchutados Muralla SA (Remusa) in Spain. The machine is the second the company has acquired from Vipal following its 2020 installation of a VOC760 Cargo orbicushion. The addition of the fully automated, low energy consumption buffer is due to an expansion in the retreader’s business.
Continue Reading
Kwik Fit set on expansion after appointment of property consultant
Kwik Fit is bucking the trend of consolidation in the tyre retail sector with a new growth strategy across the UK. That much is evidenced by the appointment of Automotive property consultancy Rapleys to advise on its search for new premises, understood to be focused mainly on pre-let opportunities. However, Tyres & Accessories understands that standing assets will also be considered. Indeed, Rapleys representatives report that Kwik Fit wants to “open in more locations”. This is on top of “a robust investment programme to upgrade existing sites with a focus on innovation and sustainability to adapt to changing requirements and customer demand.”
Continue Reading
Autopromotec 2025 to host RFID Ecosystem Village collaboration
Bologna-based aftermarket expo, Autopromotec 2025 will host an area illustrating with practical demonstrations the different uses of RFID technology throughout the lifecycle of the tyre at Booth A2 in Pavilion 22. The area will illustrate how RFID optimises traceability, operational efficiency and sustainability from production, through distribution, retreading and end of life recovery and disposal. The RFID Ecosystem Village project is a collaboration between eight exhibitors who will offer demonstrations of the various use-cases during the event: Ateq, Corghi, Devel, Fasep, GDSO, Innovando, Michelin and Regom.
Continue Reading
Vipal celebrating anniversary at Autopromotec 2025
Retreading product manufacturer Vipal is limbering up for Autopromotec 2025 in Bologna, where it will exhibit highlights from a broad portfolio. The exhibition in Italy also coincides with the celebration of Vipal’s 20th anniversary Europe, with operations withing the region commencing in 2005 – the same year Vipal first attended Autopromotec.
Continue Reading
Marangoni adopts 17-point sustainability plan
Marangoni has introduced a Strategic Sustainability Plan in which it identifies and details 17 “improvement initiatives” that form the basis of a focused action framework to guide and monitor the company’s activities between 2025 and 2027. The Italian firm says this framework, which will serve both as a guideline and a tool for monitoring progress, is “fully aligned” with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Continue Reading
Durability focus of new Conti 5th generation TBRs supports holistic ContiLifeCycle concept
Continental extended its ContiLifeCycle concept in 2024, launching another two fully retreadable Generation 5 tyre lines. The Conti Eco Gen 5 for long-distance and regional haulage and the Conti Urban HA 5 for urban buses feature low rolling resistance and long lifespan, with both improvements made without restricting the recyclability of the casings.
Continue Reading
Vipal launches VT570 tread for EMEA markets
Vipal Rubber has introduced the new VT570 tread designed to meet specific needs of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) markets. Such needs include “offering better traction power in the mixed segment (on/off-road)”. This application is ideal for vehicles that operate in varied terrains, including paved and non-paved streets and roads. It can be used in transportation for civil construction, garbage collection and agricultural activities, for example.
Continue Reading
Bandvulc offering Wastemaster 5 in 315/70
Bandvulc has doubled its Wastemaster 5 tyre range with the addition of a second size, 315/70R22.5. This addition to the fifth-generation Bandvulc product line, which debuted as a size 295/80R22.5 fitment in 2021, has a high (156/150) load rating to lend suitability to operators using vehicles in urban waste collection and recycling centre applications.
Continue Reading
Car tyre retreading – Germany’s Rigdon orders vulcanisation press
Almost two years ago, German retreader Rigdon announced a plan to invest heavily in car tyre retreading, and it has now progressed this plan by ordering 35 vulcanisation presses for bead-to-bead mould cure retreading. The first presses will arrive later this year and the remainder in 2026.
Continue Reading
Vaculug becomes B Corp – ‘first tyre retreader in Europe’ to achieve sustainability certification
UK-based tyre retreader Vaculug has become a Certified B Corporation, commonly known as B Corp. The company calls the certification “a landmark achievement”, adding that it is the “first tyre retreader in Europe” to earn B Corp status. Membership of the global movement demonstrates that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.
Continue Reading
Michelin expands Remix 2 offer – but not in UK
Remix 2 retreading represents a third life for commercial vehicle tyre users who don’t regroove, and fifth and sixth lives for those who do. Michelin has now expanded its Remix 2 range for customers in several European countries, but although Michelin performs mould cure retreading at its Stoke-on-Trent plant, UK-based fleets do not currently have access to the Remix 2 offer. Michelin emphasises that Remix 2 does not replace Encore in the UK.
Continue Reading
Durability focus of new Conti 5th generation TBRs supports holistic ContiLifeCycle concept
Continental extended its ContiLifeCycle concept in 2024, launching another two fully retreadable Generation 5 tyre lines. The Conti Eco Gen 5 for long-distance and regional haulage and the Conti Urban HA 5 for urban buses feature low rolling resistance and long lifespan, with both improvements made without restricting the recyclability of the casings. Conti designed the new products with a cradle-to-grave approach, considering retreadability and cost-effectiveness. The tyres also offer increased integration with digital fleet management. Hinnerk Kaiser, head of product development EMEA at Continental, explained: “All Generation 5 tyres are fitted with an RFID chip. They can also be factory fitted with tyre sensors as an option, and so are part of the ContiConnect digital tyre management solution.” The tyres complement the newly launched Conti EfficientPro 5 drive and steer (see Tyres & Accessories February 2025 for more details).
Continue Reading
Marangoni Meccanica negotiates terms with creditors, 25 jobs at risk
On 6 November, the board of directors of Marangoni Meccanica SpA filed a request to start the process making an arrangement with its creditors, according to our Italian sister publication PneusNews.it. Naturally, there is great concern on the part of the Fim Cisl and Fiom CGIL trade union representatives for the companys 72 employees.
Continue Reading