Ironhead Rubber Technologies has opened its first truck tire retread plant, located in Mississauga, Ont.
According to Marcel Leclair, president of Ironhead, the goal from the start was to "build a retreading system capable of challenging the very best in the industry and offering tire dealers the first true alternative to the big three multi-national retreaders."
Ironhead, Leclair claims, “has accomplished that by acquiring innovative technology and utilizing an 11-step retreading process, as well as creating industry leading production and customer service teams. The result is a superior product that dealers can rely on at a price that consumers will appreciate.”
Leclair said Ironhead’s quality control focus starts with specialized equipment to conduct non-destructive inspection capable of detecting nail holes and, and using shearography technology to identify abnormalities in casings that would otherwise not be visible with the naked eye.
Ironhead also has designed and engineered application- and compound-specific tread patterns. The lineup includes pattern DR850, designed for winter applications, the DC375 with an extra deep tread for on/off-road applications, and the DL815, a line-haul drive pattern.
Leclair said Ironhead’s 21,500-square-foot facility outside of Toronto currently employs some 20 employees, and the plant was designed and equipped to process 220 retreads during a 10-hour work day.
“Dealers want a quality product with prompt and consistent turnaround times to meet the needs of their customers. Everything we have done has been governed with those specific needs in mind,” said Leclair.
