The Tire Repair & Information Bureau (TRIB) teamed-up with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to complete a U.S. remanufacturing study.
The 284-page report, titled "Remanufactured Goods: An Overview of the U.S. and Global Industries, Markets, and Trade," shows that:
* Between 2009 and 2011, U.S. imports of retreaded tires jumped by 90% to $11.4 million, primarily from Canada.
* The United States is the largest remanufacturer in the world, and between 2009 and 2011, the value of U.S. remanufactured production grew by 15% to at least $43.0 billion, supporting 180,000 full-time U.S. jobs.
* Between 2009 and 2011, U.S. exports of retreaded tires increased by about 17% to $18.5 million.
* Global exports of retreaded tires reached $253 million in 2011, up from $187 million in 2009. The EU accounted for almost one-half of global exports in 2011. In contrast, the United States accounted for less than 10%. Russia is the largest importer of retreaded tires, accounting for 12% of global imports in 2011.
* Between 2009 and 2011, global exports of tire casings increased by 27% to $383.5 million. Japan and the EU collectively accounted for over two-thirds of global exports. In contrast, the United States was the largest importer of tire casings, although it never accounted for more than 15% of global imports of casings during the period.
Over several months in 2012, TRIB worked with the USITC to answer questions about the retread industry, provide source materials, and connect researchers to TRIB members to help complete the study, according to David Stevens, managing director of TRIB.
TRIB has placed sections of the study that relate to the retread industry on its website. For the complete report, see the USITC website here.
