Vipal Rubber continues to expand its presence in the United States with the recent installation of its VR01 Smart Duo buffer at a Pete’s Road Service plant in Corona, Calif.
The machine, which removes tread from used casings, was added because of “cost benefit” and the commercial tire dealership’s confidence in “the services and technical support that Vipal offers,” according to company officials.
“We have already had a very good experience with Vipal in the supply of pre-cure treads and now we also are betting on their equipment, which should give us significant quality gains,” says Noe Lara, operational manager at Pete’s Road Service.
Gabriel Fuma, commercial manager at Vipal NAFTA, says the company’s U.S. strategy is to grow with “first-rate customers like Pete’s, who are constantly focused on delivering quality and value to their users.”
Vipal officials note that “four major North American retreaders” have acquired five pieces of machinery from Vipal this year.
Retread Solutions, which is based in North Carolina, is one of those.
In addition to bringing on the VR01 Smart Duo buffer, the company also installed another Vipal machine, the VOC 760 Cargo, which applies cushion gum to tires used in port and cargo applications. (Two other commercial tire dealerships, including Oxford, Maine-based Jewell Tire Center and Purcell Tire & Rubber Co., plan to add the VOC 760 Cargo, according to Vipal.)
“We have very good prospects” in the North American market, says Fuma. “Retreaders, in general, are optimistic about the future of retreading and, with that, plans for investing in equipment and in the modernization of their factories have been renewed.”
Leandro Rigon, Vipal’s director of international business, adds that the U.S. retread market “is a reference for everyone in this sector, as it is the largest volume and where the biggest players are.”
The U.S. is one of Vipal’s top product export destinations, he explains, and the company has distribution centers in the U.S.
