December 17, 2010
'We see a big opportunity'
Unitread should help Marangoni expand client base
By: Mike Manges
Marangoni Tread North America’s Madison, Tenn., plant will begin building Unitread products this spring, says CEO Bill Sweatman.
Marangoni Tread North America (MTNA) has offered its Unitread flat precure product in North America for years, but only on an import-only basis.
MTNA officials say that will change this spring when the company begins building Unitread at its Madison, Tenn., tread rubber plant.
Manufacturing Unitread in the U.S. will open a lot of doors for MTNA, including the possible creation of a dedicated network of Unitread retreaders, according to MTNA CEO Bill Sweatman.
The company’s timing couldn’t be better, he believes. “Some retreaders are going in the direction of vertical alignment with the tire manufacturers and there are others who are saying, ‘I think there is still an opportunity to be a totally independent retreader.’ We see a big opportunity.”
The start-up plan
MTNA’s Madison plant, which currently produces the company’s RINGtread product, will start building Unitread by April, says Sweatman. (Unitread currently is produced in Europe, South America and China.)
Installation of equipment and setting up the production line will probably take most of the first quarter.
All of the above will represent a total investment of more than $3.3 million.
“Unitread has been here for years. We just haven’t really done anything with it.
“When I came to Marangoni, the strategy was we would penetrate the market with RINGtread, so we’ve concentrated on building the RINGtread brand, and it has worked very well.”
In fact, the RINGtread program has been so successful that “we see a real need to further support the sales of products and services to independent dealers.”
RINGtread remains MTNA’s premium brand, but, Sweatman admits, “the conventional, flat-splice precure product dominates the market.
“It certainly is well-accepted and it can be mass-produced. There’s a real need for it and there are both applications and price points that call for it.”
These factors will make Unitread attractive to retreaders, he says.
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