March 17th 2009 – Goodyear is setting a new industry standard in truck tyre retread quality with the introduction of TreadMax to the UK haulage market today.
The outstanding performance of TreadMax results from a combination of new technology and an investment in manufacturing capability at the company's Wolverhampton plant, which recently celebrated eight decades of tyre manufacturing.
TreadMax uses only Goodyear Max Technology carcasses from suitably sized Regional RHD II and RHS II tyres as well as from Marathon LHD II and LHS II tyres. The new tread patterns are the same as those used on RHD II and LHD II and therefore share the same features and benefits. Goodyear's aim is to produce a retread tyre that is equal to the new tyre in terms of appearance, performance and reliability.
Goodyear recently announced investments in the Wolverhampton plant, commissioning new quality inspection machinery in the Next Tread plant in addition to a multi-million dollar investment in a new rubber compound mixing facility in 2007.
This investment covered both training to achieve process improvements and set new quality standards, as well as the investment in new machinery. In February last year, the company took delivery of new buffing machinery that will be used to make the new TreadMax product.
"These machines offer highly accurate, repeatable process control, thus ensuring the highest possible standard of tyre to our customers. The machines are used to buff casings (used truck tyres) and in the building of the Next Tread and TreadMax (retreaded truck) tyres" stated Ken Wilson, QTECH Manager, Retread Europe.
The machinery has the highest levels of calibration and accuracy and will also improve productivity, with improved cycle time efficiency improving output.
One of the key factors in enabling this long-term durability and performance of Next Tread and TreadMax tyres is the commitment to Four-Stage inspection at the Wolverhampton plant.
The four stage inspection process is a result of the Next Tread commitment to Continuous Improvement Systems and consists of the following key stages, all of which are meticulously audited by the company's QTECH quality assurance operation:
1) Primary Inspection – carried out before the used tyres are shipped to the Next Tread plant.
2) Highly trained, certified inspectors assess every tyre received at Wolverhampton.
3) The latest state-of-the-art Nail Hole Detection equipment is used on 100% of all tyres that pass stages one and two.
4) Used tyres that pass stages 1, 2 and 3 can then be subjected to a shearography test, which assesses the construction of the tyre to identify separations or voids that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
This investment and commitment to continuous improvement means that Goodyear is well placed to continue the tradition of manufacturing at Bushbury Lane that began over 80 years ago, when the American tyre giant chose Wolverhampton as the location for their first overseas plant.
