Tire retreading industry still needs to make up for "shortcomings in technology"

“Although the overall technical level of tire retreading in our country still needs to be improved, the quality of retreaded tires produced by regular enterprises is guaranteed. As for the products of small workshops, consumers are advised not to purchase them so as not to cause property and personal losses.” February 25, 2012 Zheng Yongxiang, vice chairman of Shandong Rubber Industry Association, said in an interview with the Economic Herald.

Regular enterprise products can be assured

Zheng Yongxiang told the reporter that from an international perspective, the quality of retreaded tyres is no longer a problem. Some foreign developed countries, for the purpose of environmental protection, stipulate that certain tires must be used repeatedly. In the United States, tire retreading is a mature industry that has been operating for several decades. On average, one out of every seven tires is a retreaded tire (in our country, more than 30 tires have a retreaded tire), and owners have become accustomed to using retreaded tires. , generally do not have to worry too much about quality issues. The Michelin company even promised that one tire would be discarded after three renovations.

In China, the quality of retreaded tires in regular companies can also be assured. Take a large tire company in Weihai City, Guangdong Province as an example. During the retreading process, the old tires were subjected to a laser test. When it was confirmed that the carcass was not damaged and only the tread was worn, it could be used for renovation. Workers first need to grind old tire treads, then inflate the tires, then attach a new rubber layer to the tread, and then use “Occarto Robot” as the outermost cover. Inflatable rubber ring, the new rubber layer and the carcass top tight, and finally into the closed vulcanization device for processing, it has a better strength, flexibility and so on.

It is understood that the equipment used for tire retreading is quite expensive, and the price of only one laser detection device is as high as more than 7 million yuan. If it is used normally, the retreaded tire will not puncture; and some small businesses and small workshops Without the ability to purchase such equipment at all, coupled with the lack of strict incentives driven by profits, the quality of retreaded tires is naturally difficult to guarantee.

According to reports, in addition to the large-scale tire manufacturing enterprises such as Delta, Racing, Delicate, Double Star, etc., many small and medium-sized private and individual enterprises have also entered the tire retreading industry. After years of development, some have become quite large. The scale and quality can also be guaranteed. For example, in the blue villages and towns of Jimo City, as early as two years ago, there were companies with annual tire production exceeding 100,000; in Nanquan Town, the same city, more than a dozen large-scale tire retreaders were concentrated. The popular cold and hot tyres on the market are produced here.

Technology is still the main "short board"

Although there is no problem with the quality of formal enterprises, Zheng Yongxiang also admitted that compared with developed countries, because of the late start and other reasons, China's tire retreading industry still has a low degree of equipment automation, manufacturing accuracy, backward technology, poor product performance Such as "short board", we must pay close attention to make up.

In terms of process, the pre-vulcanized retreading not only makes the retreaded tire more durable, but also can increase the number of retreading of the old carcass, and is an advanced retreading method. However, there are not many manufacturers that use this technology in China. The majority of companies adopt the hot sulphidizing and refurbishing processes that are of poor quality and are harmful to the old carcass.

From the perspective of refurbished products, China’s refurbished tires are technically low-required tires, such as truck tires, agricultural vehicle tires, and mine construction vehicle tires, while technically demanding aviation tires, car tires, etc., are being refurbished. It is very low. In particular, it is worth mentioning that, in China, because of the shortcomings of the technology and low profit, car tires with a large amount of usage are hardly refurbished, and the rate of renovation of car tires in the EU can reach about 20%.

Relevant statistics show that the raw materials consumed for refurbishing an old tire are only equivalent to about 30% of the new tires with equivalent specifications, and the price is only about 30% of the new tires, which can greatly save rubber resources. Every year, more than 10 million old tires in China are to be refurbished without being refurbished, resulting in economic losses of more than 2 billion yuan.

In view of this, Zheng Yongxiang stated that the huge potential of the tire retreading market in China is still far from being fully explored. Related companies should seize the opportunity to increase the level of technology and equipment, and strive to catch up with and even surpass the developed countries as soon as possible; relevant departments should also step up retreading of tires. The crackdown on “underground workshops” has promoted the healthy development of this industry.