Leonard in Portugal – success in the production of reconditioned tyres for light vehicles

Leonard – success in the production of renovated tires for tires – AUTOMOTIVE REVISTA, Eduardo Gaspar (PT)

https://automotiverevista.pt/index.php/2024/08/28/leonard-sucesso-na-producao-de-pneus-renovados-para-ligeiros/

Automotive Revista visited the Léonard tire factory located in Béthune (north of France), and interviewed Laurent Cabassu, Managing Director of Black Star, who tells how – for the first time in history – a factory which produced new tyres was completely transformed and used to produce reconditioned tyres for light vehicles.

“Our project was unique because until today, all retreaded tyres for passenger cars were sold at a lower price than the cheapest new tyres on the market (typically Chinese tyres).

The second objective was to have a positive environmental and social impact. Social, because this Béthune factory had great social importance for the region: in the best years, it employed 1,600 workers, and when it closed, around 800 people were still working. The impact on the environment is clearly positive: we extend the useful life of the tyres, keeping them on European soil and where we can save 63% of carbon emissions (compared to the production of a new tire ) and reuses materials that would otherwise be waste.

The third objective is to generate an economically viable model for the factory and customers, whether tyre distributors or workshops, guaranteeing them a fair margin. »

“We were pioneers, we proved that we were capable of it and that it was a business that worked. It gives margin to workshops and provides customers with a renewed product in complete safety. Now all the big manufacturers want to have something similar. Recently, we received visits from several leaders of major brands, and even journalists from as far away as you, coming from Portugal. Everyone who visits us says the same thing: our quality is above all expectations. Fortunately, we have reached the point where we have more orders than production capacity. And expectations for the future are very promising, especially in the area of ​​fleets, where growth forecasts are frankly positive and much higher than we expected. We are now working to increase production capacity, but this will be gradual because we want to maintain consistency in quality and reputation, the two pillars that support the Leonard brand,” concludes Laurent Cabassu, in this interview conducted by Revista Automobile .