Continental to enhance its retread process development and training

Fort Mill, SC — Continental’s Vision 2030 strategy is focused on customer-centric alignment, ambitious sustainability goals and smart digital tire monitoring solutions as differentiators in the marketplace. As one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers, a key part of this strategy is Continental’s commitment to the retreading process as a key driver of sustainability for fleets.
Conti360° Solutions is Continental’s all-round tire management solution for fleets. From tire selection, monitoring and reporting, emergency roadside service to offering the proven performance and reliability from our retread portfolio, a Continental truck tire has advantages that extend beyond the original first life. Reusing quality tire casings, retreads offer excellent mobility solutions that can lead to both cost savings and environmental benefits. “Good quality tires are capable of being retreaded several times, helping fleets save money in the long run. Our ContiLifeCycle retread process and network of retreaders ensure fleets can capitalize on their tire investment,” said Shaun Uys, head of replacement Truck Tires US and Key Account Management, Continental Tire the Americas LLC.
Each retread creates 1.7 pounds of buff dust during the retreading process. Over the past 5 years, nearly 11 million pounds of rubber were reprocessed from Continental’s retreading Americas network into such products as tracks, roads, playgrounds, and athletic fields.
The Continental retreading process
Retreading a truck tire is a process that requires meticulous attention to detail and precise execution. Each step must be completed properly for the retreaded tire to have sufficient integrity. Retreaders use proprietary processes to repair and retread tire casings to ensure this safety.
Utilizing new-tire design technology, proven tread designs and new-tire manufacturing standards, retreading delivers reliable retreads all specifically designed. The retreading process has nine steps: initial inspection, electrical nail hole detection, casing integrity analyzer (shearography), repair, cushion gum extrusion, tread building, enveloping, curing, final inspection, and pressure testing.
Casings are first required to undergo an initial visual and electrical nail hole inspection. In this step, casing damages are identified for repair. Additionally, casings are processed to detect belt separations through shearography. Left undetected, belt separations within the casing can lead to the retread coming out of service. Altogether, visual inspection, and shearography inspections help ensure the fleet receives a safe and reliably retreaded casing. A Continental tire can be retreaded up to three times, generating a number a life-cycles with a quality carcass. The retread processes and products have significantly advanced during the last 20-25 years and deliver measurable value to fleet customers.
“We are in the process of planning a new center which will focus on retread training and retread process development,” continues Uys. “We expect to make further announcements about this exciting project next year in Q2.”