The company reports that the new equipment weighs in at over 75 tonnes and, following installation at OTR’s Somercoates headquarters, is ready to produce massive 2700 R49 tyres.
OTR has been supplying, servicing and retreading EM tyres for more than 25 years, but the current shortage of earthmover tyres has seen the company invest more than £750,000 on the latest equipment, much of it designed by OTR to suit customer demand.
The advantages of the new remould press systems are that the tyre can now be produced from compounds to suit customer requirements and tailor made for individual sites.
For OTR, the new remould process produces a tyre that replicates both new tyre image and performance and is less labour intensive than previous methods, allowing for better use of resources in the factory.
The 27,000-diameter tyres are designed for medium capacity rigid dump trucks (up to 108 tonnes) that operate in a wide variety of environments including quarries, mines and large construction sites.
Commenting on the installation of the new machinery, OTR Managing Director Chris Skelton said: “The current global earthmover tyre crisis has required radical rethinking by the largest tyre users, and retreading has now become a very important part of their vehicle management. OTR has been at the forefront of earthmover tyre retreading for a number of years now, and this latest investment us just another stop in our development for our customers.”
In addition to a comprehensive U.K. service, OTR currently have supply, service and manufacturing operations in Africa. The company reports that it is developing interests in other key markets globally.
Earlier, Skelton announced that “new ReMoulds” from OTR Tyres are proving to be the fastest-selling new earthmover tyre product in the UK. Within six months, production of the new generation of quality ReMoulds has risen to more than 600, and an average of 30 tyres a week are now reportedly leaving the company’s Alfreton manufacturing facility.
“The quality and performance of the OTR remould has exceeded all our prior expectations, and early indications are that the RTH and RTDN compare very favourably alongside premium new tyre performance,” said Skelton. “The ReMould is clearly the fastest-selling new earthmover tyre in the U.K. at the moment.”
Every casing is rigorously tested using OTR’s unique Earthscan ultrasonic tyre scanning system before the tyre is buffed down to exact casing dimensions to guarantee original new tyre characteristics and consistency of performance.
The tyre is treated, new rubber compound applied and then placed in one of the two new state-of-the-art moulds (that were purchased prior to the latest addition) for vulcanisation.
OTR ReMoulds are available in 20.5R25 RTH and 23.5R25, 26.5R25 & 29.5R25 RTDN.
