Continental Tire the Americas LLC has opened its Continental Retread Solutions Development Center in Rock Hill, S.C.
The facility will focus on retread process improvements and technology development to bring innovation and up-to-date retread processes to Continental's Retread Solutions partners and the fleets they serve, according to Continental officials.
"Designed and set up as a retread shop, the center allows the (Continental) team to test new processes in the same environment that is used by their Continental Retread Solutions Partners to help improve the retread process. This center provides Continental with the ability to train their Continental Retread Solutions Partners ... using the same equipment" that Continental retreaders use.
"Fleet owners will also be able to tour the center to see a firsthand account of the retread technology that is used on their tires when working with a Continental Retread Solutions Partner."
Facility features
The new retread center is testing a machine that can track the carcass throughout the retread process by scanning the sidewall.
Utilizing radio frequency identification technology (RFID), the machine will show the tire’s identification to ensure the carcass is tracked automatically throughout the retreading process.
After the shop scans the tire, the RFID technology will communicate with every other retread machine to say the tire model, size and tread.
"From there, the machines are automated to those specifications to ensure the correct carcass gets the tread it needs." This will allow retread owners to see how the tread and carcass are wearing over time.
The center also features a shearography machine that examines the inside of the tire to find imperfections not visible to the human eye. Once the machine identifies imperfections, the retread operator marks the imperfection so it can be addressed further in the process.
“This center gives us a unique opportunity to continue to make advancements in the retreading part of our business,” says Shaun Uys, vice president, truck tires U.S., Continental. “Not only will we be able to continue to improve our process, but we can also now provide our Continental Retread Solutions Partners with hands-on training from miles away.”
Continental is also testing out virtual reality goggles that will allow the Continental team to examine the tire, carcass and retread alongside their partners and answer questions that may come up.
