Tread rubber shipments will grow during the second half of 2003, leading to a total of 16 million retreads in the United States by the end of the year, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA).
Tread rubber shipments were down during the first six months of the year vs. 2002 numbers due to the weak economy, say RMA officials, who add that economic improvements will lead to a shipment turnaround to the tune of an annualized 2.7% growth rate through 2005.
