Vipal tread gets SmartWay verification

March 28, 2014

Vipal Rubber is launching the VL130 ECO tread designed and compounded to provide users savings in fuel consumption. It is the first Vipal line to be SmartWay-verified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“With the development of the VL130 ECO, Vipal has become a pioneer in South America by verifying a product according to SmartWay criteria to be used in the North American market, the largest in the world in the segment,” says Plinio de Luca, commercial and marketing director for Vipal.

“This is not simply a new tread design, rather it is a launch that attests to the pioneering spirit, technology, quality and commitment of Vipal in terms of environmental responsibility.”

The VL130 ECO also fully complies with European market requirements, focused on issues such as fuel consumption efficiency, adherence to wet surfaces and noise levels.

The tread’s low rolling resistance generates less heat, ensuring less casing fatigue, Vipal reports. Its light weight contributes to elevating the tire’s retreadability index, while its grooves were designed to minimize the retention of stones and other objects. The tread includes rounded shoulders that ensure a reduction in the effects of lateral dragging.

It is recommended for use on free axles of vehicles in the long-haul freight segment.

Vipal also reports it recently redirected one of its three production plants in Brazil to focus purely on export productions. In order to meet growing export demands, in 2013 it inaugurated its third distribution center in the United States. Located in Los Angeles, Calif., the center has a storage capacity of 1,500 pallet positions and can supply product to retreaders on the West Coast in addition to certain central states and the West and Central regions of Canada.

Vipal has three manufacturing plants in Brazil and branch offices and distribution centers in the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Australia, Colombia, Argentina and Chile. The company supplies around 90 countries throughout the world, with the main markets being Europe, Latin America and the U.S. It had $130 million in global sales last year.

For more information, see www.vipal-usa.com