The event, organised by Marangoni Retreading Systems and called Viva Brasil Ringnet Tour 2007, saw the participation of the Ringnet members who in 2006 achieved the objectives set as part of an intense marketing campaign for the promotion of Ringtread tyres with the end user.

The Viva Brasil event took place from 16 to 25 March, in Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro, and culminated in the convention held at the Ouro Minas Hotel in Belo Horizonte. The convention was attended not only by the Ringnet Europe member companies, but also by Brazilian retreaders, customers of Marangoni do Brasil, which were invited with the aim of presenting the Ringnet project for the local network.

During the convention, Giuseppe Ferrari, Managing Director of Marangoni Retreading Systems, illustrated the progress achieved by Ringtread Systems in terms of technology and sales since it was founded in the 1970s. In particular, Mr. Ferrari stressed how Marangoni Tread is the only retreading specialist with a global presence, production facilities in three continents and plans to develop its presence in the Chinese market in the near future. Moreover, he added that since their introduction retreads using rings have now surpassed 10 million tyres worldwide. The last 10 years have seen incredible growth; in particular, over the last year more than 1.2 million tyres using rings were produced globally.

Pierantonio Gallu, Marketing Manager for Marangoni Retreading Systems, illustrated the situation in the European market and highlighted the advantages that Ringtread Systems offers the retreader and the end user.

Marco Mandrioli, Marketing and Sales Director for Marangoni Retreading Systems and Managing Director of Ellerbrock, focused on the current situation of the Ringnet network, underlining how the members increased their sales by 25 % in one year. He then spoke about the challenges Ringnet retreaders now face in Europe, and the product development and marketing support plans that Marangoni Retreading Systems intends to implement to support the work of the member retreaders.

Also at the convention, Alberto Borella, Managing Director of RTS Systeme de Rechapage, showed a short film presenting the new Ringbuilder 3000, a ring building machine designed for large retreaders.

The convention ended with the awards given to the Ringnet retreaders who accomplished the most outstanding sales performances in 2006, and the historical Marangoni and Ellerbrock customers, pioneers in retreading with rings.

The Brazilian retread market totals 8.5 million units, 90% of which are cold retreads. Marangoni do Brasil has a market share of around 6%.

In April 2001, the Marangoni Group officially inaugurated the Marangoni do Brasil facilities in Belo Horizonte. This city was chosen due to its strategic position in reference to the location of the main retreading centres in Brazil, and as part of the local council’s plans to expand the Lagoa Santa industrial estate and create new employment opportunities for the local population.

The facilities required an initial investment of R$ 25 million, and cover an area of 50,000 sq.m, including an indoor area of 18,000 sq.m.

Delegates also visited a Brazilian retreader’s factory. DÊnis Oliveira is the owner of AD Pneus – Belo Horizonte, the plant visited by the Ringnet members. The AD Pneus Group was founded in 1984; in 2000 it started working with Marangoni, establishing a profitable partnership for both companies.