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π¬π§ A hommage to the UK tyre industry
Did you know? The pneumatic tyre was first patented 1846 in France by Scottsman Robert William Thomson. However, a pneumatic tyre was also independently invented and later commericalised in 1888 by Scottsman John Boyd Dunlop in Ireland. This pneumatic tyre was first used on carriages and bicycles, later in the upcoming motor vehicles. The famous Dunlop brand developed out of John Boyd Dunlop's "Pneumatic Tyre" business.
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In the good times of the UK tyre industry, there were 9 tyre production sites under 5 brands. In 2023, only 3 production sites operate under 2 brands.
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Michelin incorporated in 1905 and built its beautiful UK HQ, the "Michelin House" in 1911. Originally it was build to serve as distrubution centre. The first tyre plant was built 1927 in Stoke-on-Trent and closed in 2001. The Ballymena (Northern Ireland) plant was built in 1969 and was closed in 2018. The Aberdeen steel cord plant was built in 1973 and was closed in 1973. Finally, the Dundee site was built in 1972 and was closed in 2020.
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Avon Tyre developed out of the Avon Mill textile business. It was acquired by Cooper Tire in 1997 and Avon Rubber continued with its non-tyre businesses. Then Cooper Tire was acquired by Goodyear in 2021. The Melksham tyre plant was built in 1900 and sadly will be closed this year.
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Dunlop Rubber Company, the company originally founded by John Boyd Dunlop, was acquired by British Tyre & Rubber Co. (BTR). In 1985, Sumitomo acquired the rights to manufacture and market Dunlop branded road tyres. The Dunlop brand was further spread into the world when Sumitimo and Goodyear agreed to split the Dunlop brand between them, with Goodyear taking over 75% of the European and North Amercian assets and Sumitomo manufacturing Dunlop branded tyres in Japan. The Wolverhampton side was opened in 1927 and was closed in 2016. Dunlop Aircraft Tyres is an independent company with a tyre plant in Birmingham which is still opreating.
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Pirelli openened its Burton tyre plant in 1930 and its Carlisle plant in 1970. Both are still in operation.
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I think the major reasons for those tyre plant closures were increasing costs and the inefficiencies of a complex tyre production supply chain in old factories sometimes landlocked by housing areas.
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Well, that is not yet the whole story right? It would be a quite sad story then.
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In the UK, more than 40m tyres are replaced every year, which translates into a volume of about 500 thousand tons per year of end-of-life-tyres.
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Today these waste tyres go in about equal parts into incineration, sport surfaces and export. Incineration ("tyre derived fue / TDF") and sport surface volumes go down, which leaves an increasing volume for new methods of recycling.
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While new tyre manufacture in the UK is unlikely, the tyre pyrolysis industry can resurect new life into old tyres. Both the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) and the Renewable Fuels Association have formed tyre pyrolysis working groups.
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Key player Murfitts Industries (owned by ITOCHU Corporation) is vertically integrated into tyre distribution, service, collection and granulation already and now works on pyrolysis technology with the help of Chris Norris (formerly ARTIS Melksham).
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Number two player has acquired South African rotary kiln pyrolysis technology and runs a demonstration plant with the pyrolysis front-end in Worksop. I hope that the company soon moves into operation and also the refining of recovered carbon black. Maybe my friends Warren Steele and Lucy Crapper have some news?
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Other projects that could gain some traction include Pyrum Innovations AG / , Inecsys, BIG ATOM and 2G Chemical Plastic Recycling / Scandinavian Enviro Systems AB (publ), while companies like Pyrenergy Ltd, Pyrmin Limited and Rotawave Limited sadly seem to be slow running or stopped.
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The UK tyre pyrolysis industry has a good outlet for raw recovered carbon black with the rCB refining company Waverly Carbon. If Waverly Carbon grows with the pyrolysis output, companies won't have to invest into and operate recovered carbon black refining lines.
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Over the next two years, the European recovered carbon black industry will see a significant industrial scale-up. Major companies have made their announcements for industrial plants, many of them in the BeNeLux area.
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In the UK, the scale-up picture is less clear to me, though. Who will scale-up first? What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
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