Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 52
interview
›› Continued from page 51
and they try and ensure the tyre is recycled in the most efficient way. The recycling technologies are also getting better
at reclaiming material.
What is the average you can get back
from a tyre?
It depends on the product. If we can get
the steel out of the rubber compound, it
is more or less 100% reusable. The rubber, though, that is a complex material
and recovering it is difficult. We have our
own machine, in Slovakia, which is continuing to be developed to help increase
reclaimed amounts.
The objective is reuse rubber in tyres,
instead of making playground surfacing. I
would say our objective is to get to 20 or
25% reclaim levels. If we could do 100%,
that would be fantastic, but we don't know
how to get there yet!
Continental is running an expansion
programme, Vision 2025, that would
look to expand production in various
regions. How is that advancing?
When we started this initiative in the late
2000s, the idea was to turn Continental
into a global player in the tyre market. Our
industry is based on economies of scale,
so if you're not one of the 'big guys' you're
at a competitive disadvantage. If you produce 50m or 200m tyres, the basic effort
is largely the same, so there's value in delivering higher numbers.
We also wanted to reduce our dependency on individual product segments and markets. We were very much
a European tyre manufacturer and 10
years later we're one of the truly global
players. Not 100%, but getting there. As
part of that, we're opening our greenfield
truck tyre plant in Clinton, Mississippi
[second in the US].
Have we achieved our goals, I would
say we've made significant moves in the
right direction. Are we 100% where we intended to be? Not yet, but there are some
years to go.
Have there been a lot of advances in
tyre production?
Yes, absolutely. But this is more for volume products, not so much the premium
brands. We have been able to increase
output, improve efficiencies. On the other
side, it's not about how to get the last 10
seconds out of the curing time but what
can I do in the process to improve performance by 2%. So we're seeing more specialisation, in product and process. That's
why we've invested in our Korbach [Germany] testing site.
Are you noticing any trends in tyre sizes?
The size mix is changing, definitely. This
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Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019
Contents
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - Cover1
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - Cover2
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - Contents
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 4
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 5
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 6
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 7
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 8
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 9
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 10
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 11
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 12
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 13
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 14
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 15
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 16
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 17
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 18
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 19
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 20
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 21
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 22
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 23
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 24
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 25
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 26
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 27
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 28
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 29
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 30
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 31
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 32
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 33
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 34
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 35
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Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 38
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Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 40
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 41
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 42
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 43
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 44
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Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 47
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 48
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 49
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 50
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 51
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 52
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 53
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - 54
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - Cover3
Plastics & Rubber World - November/December 2019 - Cover4
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