Canadian Treads Corp. has opened a new Michelin Retread Technologies plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, with an initial capacity to build 350 pre-cure retreads a day.
Ken Vezina, sales and marketing manager for Canadian Treads, says the plant will focus mostly on medium truck tires for customers throughout Ontario, but it will also retread Michelin Tweel and Bibsteel tires for all of Canada.
The new plant comes as Canadian Treads outgrew its previous 20,000 square-foot facility. Vezina says the company has moved to a building (a former Hercules Tire site) that encompasses about 250,000 square feet. The larger space moves the retreading operation, wheel refinishing services and mounted wheels business all under one roof, says Vezina, who at one time managed the company’s retread plant for 12 years.
The plant has the capacity for 350 pre-cure retreads a day, and Vezina says it will add eight mold cure segments for a daily capacity of 400-plus pre-cure and mold cure retreads.
“The expansion occurred so we could meet market demand as our point of sale distribution continues to grow,” he says.
Canadian Treads is equally owned by Tirecraft Auto Centers and Tiremaster Ltd. It has been utilizing the MRT pre-mold process since 2004, when it became the system’s fifth retreader in Canada.
Vezina says the larger space is a “dream” that has become a reality.
“We have experienced over the last 18 years that a truly happy work family is one of keys to providing the best customer service as clients become an extension of our family. As we evolve our business we look to grow our family from the community around us in the coming years by providing job opportunities. With industry leading employees and equipment to accent their passion we deliver more than retreads, we deliver confidence that Canadian Treads values and ethics are in every tire that leaves our facility.”
