MAINTENANCE
TREAD SOFTLY:
THE IMPORTANCE OF TYRE
MAINTENANCE
By Leon Louw
Preventive maintenance and a proper tyre management programme increase productivity while at the
same time reducing costs and downtime.
T
yres are not something that gets
the average operator or workshop
mechanic’s adrenaline flowing; yet,
tyres are essential to the efficient operation
of mining and construction sites. In tough
economic times, when operational costs are
cut to the bone, it is essential that tyres remain
in a good working order and that their lifespan
is extended as much as possible without
compromising the health and safety of workers.
Few know this better than the Kal Tire
Mining Tire Group, a division of Canada-
based Kal Tire. Originally founded in the
early 1970s to service mine sites in British
Columbia, Canada, the company has
extensive experience working with tyres in
industries ranging from mining to construction,
quarrying, steel mills, and sugar cane
plantations, which has given them extensive
knowledge of earthmover tyre service.
Kal Tire is one of the largest manufacturers
of retread tires globally, with two factories in
Canada, one in the United Kingdom, and one
in Ghana. It currently covers more than 150
mine sites in North America, Latin America,
Europe, Africa, and Australia, with a team of
more than 1 600 people globally.
Closer to home, the company has an
operations and repair facility in Middelburg,
Mpumalanga, amid the Witbank Coalfields
and, together with the recently acquired
Tyre Corporation, services most surface and
underground coal mines in the area. Prior to
the acquisition, Kal Tire specialised in surface
mining, while Tyre Corporation focused on
hard rock underground mines.
The life of tyres on a mine can be prolonged through proper planning and a preventive
maintenance plan.
JANUARY 2018
25