Canada-headquartered tyre management and supply company Kal Tire has acquired tyre manufacturer Tredcor Zambia, strengthening the company’s footprint within the Zambian earthmoving market.

Kal Tire states that its Mining Tire Group continues to expand and focus on the latest developments in tyre services, driven by its customers’ growing needs.

The company has recently expanded into Australia, Africa and Chile. It has set out to provide two earthmover tyre recycling solutions and has started the development of a handful of patented tools.

Kal Tire Mining Tire Group Canada VP operations Bob Bennett explains that, in Australia, the company has secured its place as a tyre service provider by acquiring Klinge & Co. This has resulted in Kal Tire servicing numerous mine sites across Australia, where it has opened a mining tyre repair facility in New South Wales.

In Africa, Kal Tire has grown its operation from the supply of tyres and management services at a single site in Botswana to three on-site operations. The company was also invited to conduct a comprehensive audit of a West African mine’s tyre management operations.

In Chile, Kal Tire has opened a 20 000 m2 retread and repair facility near the port city of Antofagasta.

“Our customers have come to appreciate that, wherever they need us, we’ve got the resources to mobilise quickly and serve them. We bring more than four decades of experience working in all kinds of conditions and at all types of mines, and our 1 800 team members are trained to a global standard to ensure [a high level of] quality, safety and productivity,” says Kal Tire Mining Tire Group senior VP Dan Allan.

Meanwhile, Kal Tire demonstrated at MINExpo International 2016, which took place in Las Vegas, in Nevada, in the US, last month, that it does more than supply and service tyres, with Allan explaining that Kal Tire is also an innovator, developing solutions to drive performance and safety.

“For us, innovation is about the small, incremental things we can do that are part of that larger contribution of enhancing operations. If we’re diligent and we focus on the details, the big picture around productivity is going to look a lot better,” Allan says.

Kal Tire’s exclusive product, Ultra Repair, a process that repairs large injuries on ultraclass tyres and has saved hundreds of large mining tyres from scrap piles, was also on show at this year’s MINExpo, along with a gravity-assist system that consists of a mechanical arm that allows technicians to safely, weightlessly and precisely manoeuvre heavy mounting tools, such as torque guns.

Allan points out that the company also displayed new tools at MINExpo, several of which are undergoing patenting, for the servicing of tyres that ensure safety, improve efficiency and decrease service time.

In addition, Kal Tire this year launched its Tire Operating Management System, a proprietary industry-leading planning and reporting tool that is aimed at further delivering value and furnishing customers with the details needed to help them make decisions, reduce downtime and improve cost of ownership.

“The system allows us to better manage our on-site activities as it uses predictive rather than past data to run mine sites more effectively. Better planning leads to better execution and helps reduce unplanned downtime for our customers,” says Bennett.

Another solution Kal Tire offers is volumetric scanning, a comprehensive assessment of shovel productivity, spillage, tyre wear and load distribution using on-site weight scales.

Allan states that more and more customers are looking beyond the traditional tyre supplier relationship, with some having asked the company to manage their total tyre logistics chain, including inventory. “For others, we have created alternative commercial models that are focused on aligning the goals of both the customer and Kal Tire to ensure we measure success in the same way the customer does. We believe customers should be raising their expectations of service providers – and we’re happy to meet those expectations,” he concludes.