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AGRICULTURAL
BKT Earns SQEP Silver Award from Caterpillar and Homologation of Two Earthmax Models
Trelleborg Announces Launch of YourTire
BKT earned the SQEP Silver Award from Caterpillar
At Agritechnica 2017, Trelleborg unveiled YourTire, a new online service that allows customers to personalise their Trelleborg radial tractor tyres. Using the YourTire online configurator tool, customers can add their name or logo to new tyres, bringing a new level of personalisation to farm machinery. Maurizio Buonopane, Business Development Manager at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, explained; “As with all our innovations, YourTire has its roots in our customers’ requirements. Trelleborg is a brand of choice; our leading products are customer specified as original equipment, meaning that when customers
configure their machine they are also choosing our tyres. YourTire now provides an extra level of personalisation, by allowing customers such as commercial agricultural contractors to add their name or logo to the tyres fitted to their machines; it makes them and the work they do more recognisable.”
Buonopane continued, “YourTire offers customers something unique; a tyre that delivers excellent performance as well as product personalisation. We live in an era of customisation where the personal touch gets added in many aspects of people’s lives and tyres shouldn’t be any different.”
BKT has obtained the prestigious SQEP Silver Award for Supplier Quality Excellence Process Certification, which is bestowed to Caterpillar suppliers that are able to achieve the highest levels of quality and process control. Not only is the Indian tyre manufacturer now part of this Programme for Excellence, it has also obtained homologation for the Original Equipment supply of the two tyres Earthmax SR 47 and Earthmax SR 45 to be fitted on two different models of CAT equipment. This is another success for BKT that, thanks to the Chopanki plant, has been able to comply with all requirements of the SQEP Silver Award, a certification awarding the Indian multinational company’s commitment to offering high-quality solutions that are evidence of the attention drawn to product performance, as well as to the research in sustainability and innovation.
It is right at Chopanki, where the Earthmax SR 47 and Earthmax SR 45 are manufactured, for which BKT has obtained the homologation for the supply for two CAT equipment models, namely the CAT 773E dump truck with a capacity of 60 tons – equipped with Earthmax SR 47 24.00 R 35 – and the 770G model with a capacity of 40 tons – fitted with Earthmax SR 45 size 18.00 R 33.
Earthmax SR 47 has been specifically developed for rigid dumpers and the material transport on the most critical surfaces such as one can find in rock quarries. A characteristic feature is the tyre’s long life-cycle thanks to the deep E4-class tread and the special lug pattern designed for the purpose of providing good traction, in addition to regular tread wear. This pattern is
also available with a special “cut resistant” compound version ensuring enhanced resistance against cuts and punctures. Earthmax SR 47 is available on the market in sizes E4-class 18.00 R 33 and 24.00 R 35.
Also perfect for rigid dumpers is Earthmax SR 45, made of a special compound that is particularly resistant against cuts, abrasion and impacts, risks that often occur under extreme operating conditions. This results in significantly reduced equipment standstill times along with increased productivity. Moreover, the special lug design provides extraordinar y traction, whereas the deep tread ensures a longer tyre life, increasing productive efficacy over the time. The tyre is available on the market in size 18.00 R 33.
Arvind Poddar, Chairman and Managing Director of BKT, states, “The Caterpillar SQEP Silver Award is a ver y prestigious and aspired accolade. Not only does it confirm our product’s great quality, but also the excellence of our production system.”
Poddar continues, “The homologation as official CAT supplier is a further acknowledgement of our products’ high specialist level and evidence of both our development and growth as far as Original Equipment is concerned. Pushing forward this market is one of our main strategic objectives testifying both the quality and reliability BKT has achieved for the large global manufacturers.”
Trelleborg Introduce PneuTrac to Market
PneuTrac, one of Trelleborg´s latest innovations, is a solution that combines the advantages both of radial argicultural tyres and tracks. Vineyards and orchards form two critical parts of agricultural production, and both face unique challenges, notably in root protection and terrain. Vineyards often incorporate steep terrain, and, along with orchards, they typically have narrow row operations with small spaces between vines or trees. Tracked applications can often be too wide to pass between rows with a comfortable margin for error. Lorenzo Ciferri, VP Marketing & Communications at Trelleborg Wheel Systems, commented: “PneuTrac delivers great performance
on both steep slopes and muddy terrain, reducing downtime to zero in demanding conditions. PneuTrac combines the advantages of a radial agricultural tyre in terms of fuel efficiency, comfort and handling, with the footprint and traction benefits of a track.”
PneuTrac maintains Trelleborg´s classic features along with a new sidewall utilising CupWheel Technology by Galileo Wheel Ltd. The “Omega” design of the sidewall helps the carcass to sustain load, simultaneously providing flexibility and an extra-wide footprint, resulting in very low soil compaction.
This new design allows the
tread to work at 100% of its potential efficiency. The Progressive Traction technology on the tread itself enhances traction whilst the inter-lug terraces improve the self- cleaning capability of the tyre. The wide lug bases combined with a robust shoulder feature, increase lateral stability, especially on slopes. Ciferri continued: “When designing the PneuTrac we focused on the specialist requirements of key producers. For example, the roots of vines are incredibly precious and susceptible to damage. As with conventional agriculture, the top soil needs to be protected and machine slippage could easily be a disaster for both the soil and roots.”
Trelleborg has now launched a new range of radial agricultural tyres and tracks under the name PneuTrac
Commercial Tyre Business 21