JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA—As mines strive to create a more sustainable future, Kal Tire continues to innovate mining tire management at every stage of tire life. At Electra 2024, Kal Tire showcases some of its most anticipated, next-generation solutions—from TireSight autonomous inspections to a proprietary, post-recycling process that refines carbon ash to create recovered carbon black (rCB).
“We’re committed to helping customers reach goals, and that’s led us down an intensive and exciting innovation journey,” says Dan Allan, senior vice president, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “For some of our biggest, most impactful offerings, we’re seeing the results we’d hoped for and now our teams are expanding those offerings to help make even more of an impact to safety for our technicians, and to sustainability, productivity and tyre life for customer operations.” Four years after opening a thermal conversion OTR tyre recycling facility in Chile, Kal Tire recently announced it has developed a refining process for one its key outputs: carbon ash. Kal Tire and a Canadian engineering firm designed a bespoke reactor for heating and drying, and a process that will refine the carbon ash to a high quality rCB that meets and, in some cases, exceeds the quality specifications required by tyre manufacturers and compounders—and creates a circular economy.
“Both our recycling and refining technology are scalable and could be easily deployed in any environment, including South Africa,” says John Martin, vice president, Southern Africa, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group.
Mines in the region and beyond can reduce their carbon footprint and costs with Kal Tire’s repair and retread solutions and the newly expanded Maple Program. Customers who choose Kal Tire retreads and repairs receive a Maple Program certificate with actual and validated data on the carbon and fuel emission savings compared to buying a new tyre. Now Maple Program includes all tyre sizes 25” and up. For any lifeextending repair or retread between 25″ and 63″, customers also receive the emissions saved in transportation from a regional repair facility or on site versus a distant new tyre manufacturer.
“We’re seeing a growing desire for sites to invest in sustainable supply chain solutions, and to be able to demonstrate the impact of those shifts,” says Martin. “Now customers choosing our proven and environmentally friendly tyre solutions, even on the smaller tyres of ancillary trucks and underground equipment, can show their stewardship.”
To also help mines keep trucks running as safely and productively as possible while improving tyre performance, Kal Tire has evolved TireSight autonomous tyre inspections and fleet maintenance planning. By increasing the frequency and quality of inspections, reducing technicians’ exposure to trucks, and ensuring tyre work is performed when needed, TireSight is reducing risk and inspection downtime at some sites by 20 per cent. TireSight is just one of several KalPRO tools and offerings making a difference for customers by leveraging deep expertise in mining tyre management and productivity. With a growing number of proprietary solutions, Kal Tire announced earlier this year the sub-brand that unites and captures Kal Tire’s commitment to innovation: KalPRO: Progressive Innovation. KalPRO WheelJaws, a remote-controlled clamp for safer tyre removal, is one of the tools being showcased at Electra.
Creating a safe work environment, and developing the skills and careers of team members are core values for Kal Tire—so the company was especially proud and driven to work toward achieving B-BBEE Level 1 in 2023, three years ahead of the company’s target. “We always want to uplift the communities we work in, so Kal Tire very much believes in the spirit of the act, and customers have confidence that we’ll aways do the right thing to serve the community,” says Martin.
ABOUT KAL TIRE
Kal Tire is one of Canada’s largest independent tyre dealers and one of North America’s largest commercial tyre dealers with warehouse facilities strategically located across Canada servicing over 260 Kal Tire retail and commercial stores. Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group is an international leader in mining tyre service and supply, operating on more than 150 mine sites across five continents. The company owns and operates six OTR retreading facilities located in Canada, the United Kingdom, West Africa, Chile and Mexico. Kal Tire employs more than 6,500 team members. For more information on Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group, please visit kaltiremining.com/en/