Jim Smith could have asked a number of different tire manufacturers to supply retread equipment and tread rubber to his new plant in Wahpeton, N.D. The choice, however, was clear, according to Smith. “I wanted to do business with Goodyear,” he said.

Smith, a 20-year retread industry veteran, recently opened a brand new, fully equipped Goodyear UniCircle and precure retread plant. The 22,000-square-foot facility produces up to 200 retreaded truck tires per day, which are distributed to commercial truck tire dealerships throughout North Dakota and South Dakota.

“Our main focus is on the dealer business, but we also have plans to aggressively grow our business with end users,” said Smith.

The performance attributes of Goodyear retread products, particularly Goodyear’s UniCircle Technology, “are a natural fit” for trucking fleets and owner-operators that want to drive down their operating costs, he noted.

“UniCircle treads are spliceless and adhere snugly to the tire’s casing. This helps reduce tearing and chunking while enhancing miles to removal,” he said.

In addition, because there’s no cutting or splicing during application of the UniCircle tread, the resulting retreaded tire is uniform and balanced, which helps extend casing life, according to the company. Goodyear also optimizes the UniCircle cure to help deliver lower rolling resistance than standard flat retreads, which also helps boost fuel economy.

Smith cited the premium support that he receives from Goodyear as another reason why he joined the company’s retread network. “I personally know the Goodyear technical support representatives who have been assigned to us. Their expertise helps our facility operate at optimal levels so we can serve our customers more effectively.”