Bridgestone is the largest tyre manufacturer in the world. So why has it continued to show faith in a small retread factory in Lincolnshire acquired in 2005 where ongoing investment in upgrading production facilities has been maintained despite a market downturn?
When family-owned Bulldog Remoulds sold out to a multinational business with massive global presence, few would have predicted that its small Lincolnshire factory would have survived the inevitable round of rationalisation that would follow.
Contrary to any sceptical predictions, Bulldog has not only survived but has been fully integrated into its parent company’s operations, bringing new technologies, a significant investment, while an ongoing commitment to its ‘Total Tyre Care’ concept has attracted major fleet customers including First Bus and, most recently, RATP Dev-owned London United.
Bulldog’s specialism is retreading commercial vehicle tyres and this has proved to be a perfect fit for Bridgestone, which is the largest tyre manufacturer in the world.
In the 12 years since the takeover supply and distribution chains have been streamlined, bringing welcome economies and increased market penetration, while faith in the retread market is demonstrated by ensuring ongoing investment in the production facility at Bulldog’s Bourne factory.
And this is despite a downturn in demand for retreads following a five-year fall in raw material costs that has narrowed the price gap with new tyres, thus eroding one of the main advantages of running vehicles on what is normally regarded as the cheaper alternative.
Indeed, Bridgestone’s main competitors have cut back on retread capacity. However, Bridgestone is fully aware that raw material prices are starting to rise, giving it confidence to predict that Bulldog’s output will soon increase from the current level of 60,000 per annum to capacity of 80,000 per annum.
Meanwhile the Bourne factory, employing 50 staff headed by Plant Manager Dan Edwards, sits within Bridgestone’s Total Tyre Care ethos, where the life of every commercial tyre is maximised through audits, reports and tyre care husbandry.
Through Total Tyre Care, Bridgestone provides comprehensive tyre solutions, giving the lowest total cost of ownership. Service is provided by the Bridgestone Partner network and includes not only the fitting of tyres but also auditing, reporting, full tyre husbandry and casing management.
A core aspect of this approach is Total Tyre Life. Bridgestone’s commercial vehicle tyres have retreading technology built-into the original tyre design. To realise this potential, Bridgestone’s approach to market includes not only the sale of new and re-treaded tyres but also a comprehensive casing collection service.
This approach was reinforced in the UK in 2005 when Bridgestone purchased Bulldog and on a global basis when a year later Bridgestone spent more than a billion dollars to buy Bandag’s worldwide operations. This propelled Japanese giant to be the to be the number one fleet solution provider across the globe.
In the UK, Bridgestone supplies fleets with retreads produced at seven independently owned Bandag franchises plus the Bulldog factory.
The latest investment is the introduction of the BASys casing and production control system. The BASys system tracks a tyre from the point it is removed from service, through the return of the tyre to the production facility, and then through each stage of the production process and finally the return of the transformed product back to service. BASys was installed at Bulldog last month and will be in full use later in the year. It replaces a paper-based system and works off cloud-based technology and offers additional reporting benefits for commercial fleets.
In 2016, the largest single investment at Bulldog saw the introduction of the latest generation Bandag extruder builder the 9110ES. This strategic investment, at over £250,000, can produce more tyres with a greater level of accuracy than the previous equipment. This machine uses pre-cured rubberCuring
The Bulldog factory simultaneously produces retreads using the high-temperature Hot Cure process, which is very like that of new tyre manufacture. Un-cured tread rubber and sidewall veneer is applied to the buffed tyre casing. Retreading then involves the vulcanization of the tyre in a mould at high temperature.
Each re-treaded tyre undergoes multiple stages of inspection and final testing before it is transformed from a tired, well-worn product to a gleaming, premium tyre with a new lease of life.
Eventually, what was once an old tyre, at the end of its life, is transformed into a quality product with tens of thousands more miles to offer a commercial fleet operator.
By offering procure or Hot Cure retreads Bulldog can offer flexibility in its output, while enabling Bridgestone to offer a range of retread tyres to meet operators’ requirements.
As raw material prices start to bite and the benefits of the Total Tyre Care package are recognised, Bridgestone expects that increasingly fleet customers will enjoy the benefits of using high-performing retreads into the future.
For more information about Bridgestone’s commercial tyre offering, visit http://www.bridgestone.co.uk/truck-and-bus/
