Bandvulc has been awarded SafeContractor accreditation for excellence in health and safety. The retreader, recently bought by Continental, stated that its application for SafeContractor accreditation was driven by the need for a uniform standard across the business and to protect employees and customers.
Continental Tyre Group has bought Bandvulc (B.V. Environmental Ltd.), one of only two substantially sized independent retreaders in the UK. Not only does the deal change the face of UK tyre retreading, it also has a significant impact on commercial vehicle tyre market shares owing to the fact that Continental can now count Bandvulc’s strong fleet management, service provider and independent truck tyre retreader amongst its own. The takeover will establish Bandvulc as a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental UK Group Holdings Limited. T&A understands Bandvulc’s existing management team are to continue to lead the business.
In recent months we have heard much about the decline of retread demand and production at the same time that Chinese truck tyre prices have plumbed to new depths. Of course this paints a very negative picture for the retreading business in the UK – where low-costs imports have historically been more popular than the average European state – and also across the European tyre markets. The premium new tyre makers have suggested they will weather the storm by pointing out their uniquely strong position with regard to large fleet customers. Because they also produce their own retreads, these firms pointed out that their businesses will remain relatively sheltered by the low quality, oversupply problems facing other independent retreaders. However, such a reading of recent history relies on two premises: 1) that the market remains in undeniable decline and 2) that premium manufacturers with their own retreading options are best positioned to get over this particular bump in the road.
Dawsonrentals truck and trailer has made an exclusive four-year agreement with Bandvulc. Bandvulc reports that it will now work closely with the individual managers at the company’s 30 branches around the UK, collecting tyres from the 11,000 strong truck and trailer fleet and retreading them as needed.
Bandvulc has added a new product to its range of specialist tyres, joining the manufacturer’s Wastemaster concept. The Tugmaster is an all-position yard tyre, featuring Bandvulc’s Armorband technology to protect against sidewall damage and a high polymer rubber compound to provide more resistance to punctures. Armorband technology is unique to Bandvulc’s products, offering protection around […]
Well-known retreader and truck fleet specialist, Bandvulc is once again exhibiting at the CV Show. Evolving from its 2015 stand, with a few changes to the ‘look & feel’, this year’s stand is all said to be all “about the message”.
NFT, the UK’s market leader in chilled food distribution have agreed a new long-term contract with Tyre Maintenance, the service arm of Bandvulc, for the management and control of its LGV commercial tyre requirements.
At the UK Tyre Recovery Association’s Recycling Day 2015, Bandvulc director Richard O’Connell presented an update on the ongoing pan-European ReTyre (tyre labelling for retreads) project. As T&A mentioned briefly within the first article of this supplement, supplying information on running costs (including fuel efficiency and safety characteristics) could play an important role in retreads’ competitiveness against cheap imported new tyres. The ability to provide a tyre label for retreads, facilitated by an algorithmic tool to take variables into account, could help to achieve a new way to do this, yet there are significant challenges to overcome – a fact referenced by O’Connell when he joked that a talk on the Higgs boson would be “simpler”.
The Tyre Recovery Association’s (TRA) Recycling Day, a one-day conference and dinner organised in partnership with the Retread Manufacturers Association, was held at the Ardencote Manor, Warwickshire on Friday, 19 June. Attended by representatives of the tyre and waste recycling industries, the conference included presentations covering the key themes of regulations and enforcement, best practise and innovation, and common causes and issues facing the industry. The unity of the various trade bodies struck a particularly strong note throughout the day, not just through the joint organisation of the event between the Retread Manufacturers Association (RMA) and the TRA, but with strong backing given to the event by association directors representing the whole of the UK tyre industry. The Recycling Day also marked an occasion for celebration, as the TRA celebrated its tenth anniversary.
The CV Show has become an increasingly important event for the tyre and wheel segment in recent years, and the trend will continue with the 2015 edition. The UK segment’s biggest manufacturers – Hankook, Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone, Pirelli and Giti will all be present, as will the ambitious Sailun and Aeolus brands and retreader Bandvulc – and related companies such as wholesaler RH Claydon, and Pro-Align with the new Hunter commercial vehicle wheel aligner.
Bandvulc Group has become the first tyre company to join the SEDEX ethical business information exchange organisation. Bandvucl reports “Our involvement with SEDEX and this sharing of information was initiated by our customers Tesco and as a result we at Bandvulc believe we are the first transport industry supplier to become compliant.”
After a one-year gap Bandvulc recently held its Key Partner Conference for its dealer network at the prestigious Midland Hotel in Manchester. Famous for a particular historical partnership, the Midland was where Messrs. Rolls and Royce met and agreed to form their company. The conference theme was: Partnerships, loyalty and recognising customers. Company representatives explained that this year’s conference was designed to inform the network of Bandvulc’s performance amongst other things.
Bandvulc has announced plans to launch a new range of its remanufactured tyres in 2015 based on a new compound designed in-house by Bandvulc Mixing. According to the company, Bandvulc will launch a series of new sizes this year. And this is all said to be in addition to the firm’s venture into van tyre production.
Bandvulc Group has appointed Graham Mitchell as Bandvulc Plus+ commercial director. This means Mitchell will work on all aspects of BV Plus+ in order to review and enhance its activities. He joins Bandvulc from Cooper Tire, where he was responsible for European sales.
The latest so-called “WISH” Proposals for the storage of waste tyres would decimate the important UK retreading industry if adopted in their current form. That’s the view of Patrick O’Connell, president of the Britain’s Retread Manufactures Association (RMA) and MD of Bandvulc Tyres one of Europe’s largest independent tyre retreading businesses, who stated: “This ‘WISH’ document has been developed without any consultation whatsoever with Britain’s retreaders.”
