Italian re-treading company TRM has delivered a new OTR tire plant to Kal Tire, a Canadian company specialized in mining tire services and re-treading. Built in the Sonora desert, close to the largest copper mine in Mexico, the new plant is a result of collaboration between Kal Tire’s Mexican field team and TRM’s technical group, and provides all the required functions for the re-treading process in a single location.
A multi-purpose working gate with a flexible tool head is designed to complete all three stages of the buffing and grooving processes, while a fully automated building machine, as well as twin autoclaves and curing processes, means the site can process tires up to 63in.
The facility is Kal Tire’s first to use a robot to carry out the skiving and tread grooving process, with the ability to create a broader range of patterns to suit specific needs. If successful the technology will be rolled out across the firm’s global plants for improved efficiency. Forty workers have been training to take up positions at the plant. Initial output is expected to be 80 tires per month, but capacity may be increased according demand.
Pedro Pacheco, vice president of operations Latin America for Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group, commented, “Re-treading is a service we’ve wanted to bring to Mexico for some time because it extends tire life, reduces the cost of ownership, and reduces the tire’s impact on the environment. Our clients see this as an opportunity and look forward to seeing our retread tires in operation.”
