The Retreadcast | Episode #50 | Rebuilding a Legacy: The Transformation of Robbins

The Retreadcast | Episode #50 | Rebuilding a Legacy: The Transformation of Robbins

Episode 50 of The Retreadcast features an in-depth interview with Kent Allen, CEO, and Rob Smedema, VP of Sales at Robbins LLC. David Wilson, Publisher of Retreading Business, speaks with Kent and Rob about the dramatic changes at the company since its acquisition from Hexpol by private investment firm Karo Ventures 18 months ago. They cover their perspective on tackling deferred maintenance, the impact of global macroeconomic challenges like tariffs and oil spikes, Robbins' strategies for expanding their overseas business—particularly revitalising their presence in Europe ahead of The Tire Cologne—and their vertical integration following the acquisition of Elite Advanced Polymers in Mississippi. A significant portion is dedicated to how their manufacturing processes have been systematically overhauled to improve quality, safety, and inventory reliability in truck and bus radial (TBR) and OTR envelope production. Kent Allen also shares Robbins' ambitious key plans and targets to become the number one supplier in the coming years. SUBSCRIBE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Subscribe  WEBSITE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Website  FACEBOOK ► https://www.facebook.com/RetreadingBusiness/ WHATSAPP ► https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBvzXc2v1ImsBaH8K3t INSTAGRAM ► https://www.instagram.com/retreadingbusinessmagazine/ LINKEDIN ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/retreading-business-ltd  DIGITAL MAGAZINE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2026-1

The Retreadcast | Episode #49 | A Life in Retreading: Richard O’Connell

Episode 49 of The Retreadcast features a fascinating career retrospective with Richard O’Connell, the retired director and co-founder of Bandvulc. David Wilson, Publisher of Retreading Business, talks with Richard about his newly published memoirs, “Retreading My Life.”  They journey through the early days of founding Bandvulc in the 1970s using second-hand machinery, the company’s accidental but successful shift from a standard retreader to a comprehensive tyre management firm for major fleets like Tesco, and the innovative development of the Wastemaster tyre. Richard provides a candid account of the disastrous 2011 fire and the remarkable recovery that followed, as well as the eventual sale of the family business to Continental.  The discussion also touches on the environmental significance of the circular economy and the political hurdles, such as the climate change levy and import tariffs, facing the European retreading sector today.   SUBSCRIBE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Subscribe  WEBSITE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Website  FACEBOOK ► https://www.facebook.com/RetreadingBusiness/ WHATSAPP ► https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBvzXc2v1ImsBaH8K3t INSTAGRAM ► https://www.instagram.com/retreadingbusinessmagazine/ LINKEDIN ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/retreading-business-ltd  DIGITAL MAGAZINE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2026-1

The Retreadcast | Episode #48 | Revitalising the Bandag Brand in Europe

Episode 48 of The Retreadcast features an in-depth interview with Ben Rosenblum, Vice President of Strategy and Business Transformation at Bridgestone Americas. David Wilson, Publisher of Retreading Business, speaks with Ben about the comprehensive new strategy to revitalise the Bandag brand in Europe. They discuss the challenging European market, the "three-legged stool" model (Fleet, Dealer, Bridgestone), and the critical role of efficiency and dealer partnerships. Ben details the strategic move of production from Langenfeld to Poland, the integration of new tyre technologies into the retreading process, and how Bridgestone plans to re-engage fleets and dealers with a new value proposition built on digital tools like BASys, cost-per-kilometre tracking, and a complete logistics and service solution. SUBSCRIBE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Subscribe  WEBSITE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Website  FACEBOOK ► https://www.facebook.com/RetreadingBusiness/ WHATSAPP ► https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBvzXc2v1ImsBaH8K3t INSTAGRAM ► https://www.instagram.com/retreadingbusinessmagazine/ LINKEDIN ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/retreading-business-ltd  DIGITAL MAGAZINE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2025-2

The Retreadcast | Episode #47 | Shamrock Gear Up to Face Challenges of New Market Reality

Episode 47 of The Retreadcast features an in-depth interview with Doug Conley, President of Shamrock Marketing Inc. David Wilson, Publisher of Retreading Business, speaks with Doug about a wide array of topics crucial to the US retreading market. They cover his perspective on the U.S. administration's approach to tariffs, the impact of political uncertainty on the retreading equipment sector, Shamrock's strategies for expanding their overseas business, particularly in Latin America, and their proactive approach to digital marketing including a revamped YouTube presence. A significant portion is dedicated to Shamrock's new automatic marking system designed to improve quality and efficiency in retread plants. Doug Conley also shares Shamrock's key plans and targets for the coming years. SUBSCRIBE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Subscribe  WEBSITE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Website  RETREADING BUSINESS ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2024-4 FACEBOOK ► https://www.facebook.com/RetreadingBusiness/ WHATSAPP ► https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBvzXc2v1ImsBaH8K3t LINKEDIN ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/retreading-business-ltd  DIGITAL MAGAZINE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2025-1

The Retreadcast | Episode #46 | The State of European Tyre Retreading

Episode 46 of The Retreadcast features an extended interview with the CEO of Marangoni, Vittorio Marangoni in the lead up to the 2025 Recircle Awards. In this interview Vittorio covers a lot of ground from how Asian tyre producers are driven by industrial policy aimed at dominating EU markets to the stalled implementation of labelling for Retreading to the enormous potential for tyre retreading with only 8% of tyres being retreaded at the moment. We also have some comments from Guido Gambassi, the President of BIPAVER and Autopromotec Representative on the upcoming 60th anniversary edition of Autopromotec. SUBSCRIBE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Subscribe  WEBSITE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-Website  RETREADING BUSINESS ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2024-4 FACEBOOK ► https://www.facebook.com/RetreadingBusiness/ WHATSAPP ► https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBvzXc2v1ImsBaH8K3t LINKEDIN ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/retreading-business-ltd  DIGITAL MAGAZINE ► https://tinyurl.com/RB-2025-1