Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group opened a new off-the-road (OTR) tyre retread and repair facility near the port city of Antofagasta, in the heart of Chile’s mining industry.
“Kal Tire has been supporting the Chilean mining industry for many years,” says Pedro Pacheco, vice president operations, Kal Tire Latin America. “Our customers here have been asking us for the ability to retread their tyres, so we’re looking forward to delivering this service to help them grow and remain competitive.”
The new facility, which is approximately 20,000 square metres, was built in La Negra, an industrial complex east of Antofagasta, and conveniently located between the port city and an important mining region. Like any Kal Tire OTR retread and repair facility, it will accommodate all tyres sizes up to 63 inches. There is also room allocated for tyre storage, office space and support services.
“This modern facility will bring to Chile’s mining industry the same value-added services our customers enjoy in Canada, Ghana and England,” says Pacheco. Kal Tire already has four earthmover and retreading plants across three continents. As plans were drawn for a fifth to open in Chile, plant manager Jorge Cardenas spent one and a half years training at Kal Tire’s retread facility in Kamloops, BC, Canada.
Kal Tire’s new facility in Chile will offer the organization’s exclusive ‘Ultra Repair Technology’ for ultra-class mining tyres. Developed by Kal Tire mining tyre experts in Canada, the ultra-repair patches are handmade and installed with new technology in order to replace steel belts and restore the tyre to its original strength and integrity, with no sidewall bulging. The process has been tested in the most challenging environments and conditions, exceeding customers’ expectations on mine sites around the world.