Sometimes, all it takes to make a meaningful difference in a business, is new blood, particularly when the new blood is in the form of a dynamic group of young professionals who are enthusiastic about what they do, and are able to utilise a myriad of virtual opportunities within the electronic spectrum, to get things done a little differently.
Enter Informa Markets, an energetic young company, expert in the digital space, and the new event organisers for the Tyrexpo series of dedicated tyre and accessory equipment shows. Taking on a portfolio of shows in an unfamiliar industry, is no easy task, and yet, Informa Markets pulled it off, with their pilot – Tyrexpo Asia Bangkok – in May. SA TREADS was there.
Post-show statistics reveal that over 4 000 attendees were present during the threeday event – encompassing a mixture of distributors, retailers, importers, logistic distribution, transportation and supply chain companies – with 92 exhibitors and over 150 tyre and accessory product buyers hailing from 72 countries.
On the first day, the official proceedings kicked off with pomp and ceremony, with a group of traditional Thai dancers, donned in glittering gold costumes, entertaining the crowd, paying tribute to the country’s culture and rich heritage.
The event was jointly opened by guest of honour, Captain Thammannt Prompau – Minister of Agriculture & Cooperatives Thailand, Mr Nakorn Tangavirapal – Governor of the Rubber Authority of Thailand and Mr Patrapee Chinachoti – Co-Chairman of Informa Markets Thailand.
This was followed by the staging of the Retreading Conference, featuring international speakers from a variety of countries, among them, Malaysia, Chile, Brazil and Italy. Sponsored and hosted by Retreading Business, the Forum made for an interesting and informative look at retreading across the world.
Michael Hutt, editor of Retreading News – based in Malaysia – provided insights into the South-East Asian retreading market, while David Stevens, MD Tire Retread & Repair Bureau (TRIB), offered a positive take on retreading in the North American market, where retreading appears to be burgeoning. Daniel Rojas, General Manager, Chilean Retreads Association (ARNEC), went on to outline the challenges being faced by retreaders in his home country, and this was followed by a detailed report on European retread markets, presented by Guido Gambassi, President, Federation of European Retreading Association (BIPAVER). The day’s seminar ended with a Retreading Panel Discussion
On the second day, the Retreading Conference continued, with Brazilian-based Paulo Cesar Moraz, offering his views on Managing a Retreading plant and concluded with another presentation by Daniel Rojas on ‘How the Retreading Industry can Liaise with Governments’.
The Tyre Business Forum came next, kicking off with a second presentation by Michael Hutt on Sustainability in the Tyre Industry in the ASEAN region – an important address that highlighted that sustainability begins before the recycling process begins. Hutt stressed that Inadequate Waste Management Infrastructure needed to be addressed in the long-term interests of achieving sustainability (in the ASEAN region, only 30% of waste is properly collected and recycled, a scenario that mirrors the state of affairs in our own home market.)
Next, came Liana Shaw, publisher and editor of SA TREADS who presented an overview of the Challenges and Future Opportunities for the southern African market, followed by an enlightening The earliest we can expect for a show to be staged in South Africa is 2026. Based on our experience with Tyrexpo Asia Bangkok 2024, we are hoping the exhibition will eventually come to our shores. If and when it does, we are fairly confident that this time around, the show will not disappoint presentation by Jamie Cartwright, Chief Operating Officer, Mobile Tyre Shop Group – How Mobile Tyre Fitment Technology is Changing the Tyre Industry in Australia.
*We will examine this remarkable entrepreneurial opportunity in a future issue. A discussion on the Merits of Nytex Bio Oil in Tyre Applications, by Carlo Silvestri, Senior Technical Advisor, Nynas AB, followed, with the Tyre Business Forum concluding with a sobering presentation on Future Challenges for the Chinese Tyre Industry. Given that Chinese tyre producers are being slapped with anti-dumping duties from a number of countries to which they export, is concerning for the Chinese tyre industry, which is now scrambling to reinvent itself.
This, according to the presentation by Mike Zhang, CEO SD International. *Selected content from the show will be covered in upcoming issues of SA TREADS, where we will showcase the salient points and perceptions that featured in these presentations. Proclaimed a show highlight, both Conferences drew in the crowds, who were keen to find out about other tyre markets and the business opportunities that may exist. On the third and final day of the show, we took a stroll around the hall, chatting to exhibitors to gauge their overall thoughts on the event, and to find out whether their expectations were met.
Over 90 percent of exhibitors said the show had delivered, not only in numbers, but more importantly, in the quality of visitors who attended. They also expressed their enthusiasm in exhibiting at the next Tyrexpo Asia event in Singapore, in 2025, thereby reconfirming the growing importance of the staging of the Tyrexpo shows around the world in the future.
Moreover, the post-show reports confirmed that 91 percent of visitors would recommend the Tyrexpo Show Series to industry colleagues. At this point, Informa Markets have yet to confirm if the new face of the Tyrexpo series will eventually filter down to South Africa.
They are first conducting important research to assess viability, possible dates, value-add propositions, out-of-the-box marketing strategies and the best ways to deliver on expectations.