Retreading prolonged the tyre life and allowed the tyre asset to be fully utilised.
Use Only Quality Retreads
A retreaded tyre is nothing new. It has come a long way since it was first introduced in the early 20th century. Although retreading has proven its worth to the entire transportation industry, there has always been controversy on how safe retreaded tyres are, with the argument in favour of brand new tyres. An assumption was made that all the tyre debris found on highways were from the retreads. Thus, while some have fully supported retreaded tyres, others are hesitant to try them.
Despite the technological advances in the retreading process and the proven quality of retreaded tyres in recent years, most people know very little about it. The recent comments made by the Malaysian Ministry of Works stating that up to 10,000 road accidents are caused by retreaded tyres in the country stirred up a controversy in the market. Based on the comments, a daily average of about 30 accidents was due to burst retreaded tyres. Thus, the use of retreaded tyres was seen as the main cause of most accidents on the road.
In response to these comments, some key customers of Acten Tire Technology Sdn Bhd gathered at the company’s headquarters in Seremban to share their views and experience on using retreaded tyres.
According to Wong Ah Yee of Chan Soon Transport and Trading Sdn Bhd, the company has been using retreaded tyres from Acten Tire Technology since 2009. Wong said the company came to know about Acten and its products through the Negeri Sembilan Tyre Dealers & Retread Association (NSTDRA).
“We started as a sand and stone transporter in 1981, but are now specialised in chemical transport logistics and distribution. We use both new and retreaded tyres supplied by Acten Tire Technology. For new tyres, we use the Pirelli and Aeolus brand.”
Wong said the company was satisfied with the quality of the retreaded tyres. “They are really durable and safe. As we transport and distribute industrial chemicals throughout Malaysia, we only retread our tyres once although they could be retreaded multiple times. If you take good care of the tyre casing, it could be retreaded up to 4-5 times.”
Besides good quality, reasonable pricing, prompt and reliable after-sales services are the reasons that the company continues to buy from Acten.
Use quality retreaded tyres
BZ Logistics Sdn Bhd, one of the leading food logistics and packaging solution providers in the country, is also a retreaded tyre supporter. The owner, E. T. Lim, said the company had been using retreads since its establishment in 2006.
“The goods that we transport are lightweight. Our services cover the whole of Klang Valley up to Johor Bahru. The majority of our trucks run on tyres that have been retreaded 2-3 times. Even though using retreads help us to save cost, we never compromise on safety. We are very cautious; we use only premium retreads from reliable retreaders that are accredited with MS224:2005 certification as stipulated by the Road Transport Department (JPJ).” He further explained that this mandatory certification for retreaded tyres was gazetted by the Malaysian government in November 2017.
“We bought our retreads from two companies and have just started using Acten Tire Technology’s products not long ago. However, we are experienced enough to tell whether their products are good in quality. At the moment, I would say we are quite satisfied with the product quality and performance, and we hope that Acten would continue the good job. In mileage, we are not in a position to comment as we are still in the process of collecting the relevant data.”
Lim added that the company was aware of Acten Tire Technology and its products, but it was very careful when it came to retreaded tyres. “Safety is of utmost importance. We have to make sure that not only our drivers are taken care of, but also other road users. Before we decided on using Acten’s product, we visited its factory to ensure that the company monitors quality levels at every stage of the production.”
Also present was Lim Kean Way, the owner of Binaform Sdn Bhd. “As a company that is involved in the construction line for about 40 years, we have our own fleet. Over the years, we have used different brands of retreaded tyres from at least 5 retreaders. Today, we have narrowed it down to 3 retreaders. Currently, 80 per cent of the trucks in our fleet are running on retreaded tyres.”
He pointed out that using retreads helped the company to save cost. “We have been using Acten Tire Technology’s retreaded tyres for about 6 years and are really happy with the overall performance of its products. We did not encounter any problems and its retreaded tyres are really cost-efficient, reliable, durable and value for money.”
‘We all have a role to play’
Acten Group Honorary Director Susan Wong pointed out that there were many factors that could lead to accidents, such as low quality brand new tyres, driver behaviour, improper tyre inflation and wheel alignment, overloading, lack of enforcement and monitoring of illegal tyre factories, just to name a few. Thus, it was misleading and unfair that retreaded tyres generally get all the blame.”
“I think we all have a role to play; the retreaders, users as well as our government. As responsible retreaders, we have to do our part. We have to ensure that our quality complies with MS224 certification and we are able to provide professional recommendation based on various applications and varying road conditions. For example, light duty retreaded tyres would not sustain heavy duty usage. As the fleet operates more on highways than off-road, retreaders have to offer products that have a decent life while providing sufficient traction for mild off-road conditions. Retreaded tyres for concrete mixers, dump trucks and utility trucks require a different design that provides toughness, resistance to cuts, chips and tears. Of course, we need to continue to invest in machinery and technology to push our industry credentials.”
For the user, she continued, it was important to make sure that proper tyre maintenance was in place to ensure safety and reduce breakdowns. Of course, cultivating a good driving behaviour among the drivers was equally important. As for the government, she hoped to see stronger support for the industry as tyre retreading offered many good, economic and environmental reasons for it to only continue but to also deserve a bright future. All retreaders had been striving very hard to improve their product quality and survive in this highly competitive industry; as such, all efforts should be recognised rather than dismissed with the wrong perception.
Clearly, she stressed, retreading prolonged the tyre life and allowed the tyre asset to be fully utilised. It not only provided an economic benefit to the vehicle owner, but also reduced the impact to the environment as a lower number of tyres were discarded prematurely.
Besides truck and bus tyre retreading, Acten Tire Technology is also involved in the Off-the-road (OTR) tyre repair business.
“We spent about 2 years learning the OTR tyre repairing skills and technology from a Taiwanese company. Now, we are ready to provide this service to the industry with a full force,” she added.
Looking to 2019, she revealed that Acten had made significant progress in expanding the company’s overseas business activities and increasing its overseas presence, with the aid of a new agent and sales representatives in different regions.
“We are happy to welcome MagMa-Mix Ltda from Brazil to the Acten team this year to penetrate the local market. With the aid of an experienced company like MagMa-Mix and its extensive knowledge of the target market, we see a positive long-term business opportunity in the region.”
高昇客户：翻胎是安全的
翻胎并不是什么新鲜事。自20世纪初推出以来，已经取得了长足进展 。虽然轮胎翻新已证实它对整个运输行业的价值，然而它的安全性却经常受到争议，而且一般人仍然比较偏爱新轮胎。高速公路上的轮胎碎片几乎都会被当成来自翻胎。因此，有些人百分之百支持翻胎 ，有些人则不敢轻易尝试。
近年来，尽管翻胎在技术、程序及品质上都大有进步 ，然而大部分人对它的认识却仍然有限。近日马来西亚公共工程部表示，全国的1万宗交通意外都与翻胎有关，引来市场哗然，争议不断。该部还进一步指出，翻胎爆胎是导致平均每日30宗车祸的原因。简而言之，使用翻新轮胎被视为是大部分车祸发生的主因。
高昇轮胎科技私人有限公司的一些主要的客户，近日集合在该公司的芙蓉总部，分享他们对上述言论的看法。
据振顺运输贸易有限公司的Wong Ah Yee 表示，该公司自2009年以来，就开始采用高昇轮胎科技所生产的翻胎 。他说，该公司是通过森美兰轮胎商公会（NSTDRA) 认识高昇和它的产品的。
“我们成立于1981年，一开始从事沙子和石头运输，现在则专注于化学品物流运输和配送。我们采用高昇轮胎科技所供应的新轮胎和翻胎。 新轮胎方面，我们购买的是倍耐力和风神品牌。”
他说该公司相当满意于高昇的翻胎品质。“它们耐磨又安全。虽然轮胎能够被多次翻新，但因为我们运输和配送工业化学品，所以只将轮胎翻新一次。其实，如果你好好照顾轮胎胎体，轮胎可以被翻新4-5次。”
除了品质好，合理的价格、迅速及可靠的售后服务都是该公司继续向高昇购买产品的原因。
采用优质翻胎
敏捷物流有限公司是国内领先食品物流及包装解决方案供应商之一，也是翻胎的支持者。业主林荣忠说，该公司从2006年成立以来就开始使用翻胎。
“我们运输的都是轻量化的货品，服务范围从巴生谷到新山。我们大多数卡车使用的是已经翻新了2-3次的轮胎。虽然使用翻胎可以节省成本，但我们不会因此而忽略安全。我们非常谨慎，采用的都是来自可靠翻胎制造商，拥有陆路交通局（JPJ) 所规定的MS224:2005认证的优质翻胎。”他进一步解释，该强制性的翻胎认证是马来西亚政府在2017年11月 批准和落实的。
“我们向两家公司购买翻胎，并在不久前开始采用高昇轮胎科技的产品。然而，我们在这方面很有经验，能够知道他们的产品的品质好不好。目前，我会说我们对他们的产品的品质和性能都相当满意，我们希望高昇会继续保持这样的水准。在里程数方面，我们目前仍然无法发表意见，因为我们还在收集有关数据。”
他补充说，虽然公司一直都知道高昇轮胎科技和它生产的产品，但他们非常小心，特别是在选择翻胎方面。“安全最为重要。我们不仅必须确保司机员工的安全，还有其他的公路使用者。在我们决定使用高昇的产品前，我们参观了他们的工厂，以确保他们在每一个生产阶段都会严格监督品质。”
出席的还有Binaform 私人有限公司的Lim Kean Way。“我们是一家在建筑业拥有大约40年经验 ，拥有自己车队的公司。这些年来，我们采用了至少5家翻胎商不同品牌的翻胎 。今天，我们减少至向3家翻胎商购买。目前，在我们的车队里有80%的卡车采用翻胎。”
他指出采用翻胎协助公司节省成本。“我们采用高昇轮胎科技的翻胎已经有6年了，而且不曾碰到任何问题。我们对他们产品的整体表现相当满意，他们的翻胎成本效率高、可靠、耐用及物有所值。”
“我们都有自己要 扮演的角色”
高昇集团荣誉董事王虹玲指出，交通意外是许多因素造成的，比如采用低品质的新轮胎、司机的行为、不正确的轮胎充气与车轮定位、超载、缺乏对违法轮胎厂的执法和监督等。因此，将交通意外完全归咎于 翻胎是一种误导，也很不公平。”
“我想，我们—翻胎业者、用户及政府，都有自己需要扮演的角色。作为一家负责的翻胎企业，我们必须有所担当。我们要确保我们的品质符合MS224 认证，并且能够按照不同的应用和路况 提供 专业的建议。比如说，轻型的翻胎无法支撑重载。对那些经常行驶在高速公路上，较少越野的车队业主，翻胎业者所提供的产品，除了要具有能应付轻微越野的牵引力外，也要提供不错的使用寿命。安装在混凝土搅拌车、垃圾车及通用卡车的翻胎花纹设计则必须坚固、具有抗割破、剥落及撕裂的功能。当然，我们会继续投资在机械和科技上，以提高这个行业的水平。”
至于用户，她继续说，必须确保正确的轮胎维修，以保障安全和降低故障率。当然，在司机中培养良好的驾驶行为也同样重要。她希望看到来自政府更强大 的支持，因为轮胎翻新无论是在经济或环保方面都有让它不仅仅只是继续留存，更值得拥有一个光明未来的许多优点 。所有的翻胎业者都在努力改善他们的产品和在这个高度竞争的行业里生存，这些努力应该被认可，不应因错误的观念而不断地被否定。
她强调说，翻胎明确地延长轮胎的寿命，使轮胎资产被充分利用。它除了为车主提供经济好处外，也可降低过早被丢弃的轮胎数量，减少了对环境 的冲击。
除了卡客车轮胎翻新外，高昇轮胎科技也经营工程胎（OTR) 轮胎修补。
“我们花了两年的时间向一家台湾公司学习工程胎修补技术和技巧。现在，我们已经准备好，全力提供这项服务。”
迈向2019年，她透露说，高昇轮胎科技在新代理和不同区域的销售代表的协助下，取得了 扩展海外业务活动和提高海外知名度的巨大进展。
“今年，我们很开心地宣布和欢迎巴西的MagMa-Mix Ltda有限公司加入高昇，联手进军本地市场。有了经验丰富的公司如MagMa-Mix的协助，再加上他们对目标市场的广泛知识，我们在这个区域里的看到了充满希望 的长期商机。”
