In today’s competitive environment, there is no compromise for operating at the lowest cost possible. The right tire tracking program is a management tool that will support this goal and provide data that will enable operators to manage this major expense of doing business.

“Over the years, there has been a major shift in the aggregate industry towards a fact-based tire management program,” says Chris Rhoades, Bridgestone’s product manager for the TreadStat program. “Today, all of the major aggregate producers have a TreadStat implementation underway and are reaping the bottom-line payoffs: reduced cost/hour and increased productivity.”

Tire tracking programs can provide reports with necessary key performance indicators that give plant managers the information they need to run their operations more effectively, he notes. Online software options allow servicing dealers and end-users to manage tire fleet assets and maintenance at multiple locations at the touch of a button.

Going green

Going green is often considered an expensive proposition that robs money from the bottom line. Major tire manufacturers recognize the importance of the bottom line by offering C2G solutions that include retreading of premium off-road tire casings.  Retreading reduces the costs of aggregate operator’s off-road tire fleets, while providing equal service and safety to that of new off-road tires.

Retreading is recycling. It involves the re-use of most of the original tire “casing” and replaces the worn tread with a new tread, delivering the same balance of performance as the original product. The Environmental Protection Agency cites the following benefits of retreaded tires:

• Save resources by requiring 70 percent less oil for production;
• Contain 75 percent post-consumer material;
• Cost 30 to 40 percent less than new tires; and
• Save landfill space.

While there are more uses for scrap tires than ever before, the best way to deal with scrap tires is to avoid generating them – i.e., retread them. And, according to the Tire Industry Association (TIA), retreading produces 30-percent less CO₂ than new tires.

Coupling the expertise of a trained dealer and the use of tire and rim management software to efficiently track wear rates and damage, premium casings can be preserved for retreading. Knowing the right time to pull the original tires out of service, with the casing still suitable for retreading, can stretch an operator’s initial tire investment and lower tire costs. Proper maintenance of wheel/rim is also important because of how it can affect the bead area. Corrosion of wheel/rim can cause the bead area to separate, making the tire unacceptable for retreading.