Northswan Engineering and Pride In Tyres join forces to reduce carbon emissions at recamic factory
SALM TEAM 
Northswan Engineering and Pride In Tyres have joined forces to create a solution which drastically reduces carbon emissions – with the goal of reaching zero emissions – at the Pride In Tyres retreading factory in Bloemfontein.
Previously, the retreading factory used coal generated electricity to heat up the elements in the autoclave. To provide a more environmentally friendly alternative, the factory has now adopted the use of diesel to heat oil – a medium used as a heat transfer – to heat the autoclave.
The use of coal generated electricity meant that the factory needed 65.4 megawatts of electricity per hour each month, which equated to 25 244 tons of carbon emissions. With the switch to diesel, the factory has reduced its electricity usage to 35.6 megawatts per hour each month, which equates to 13 741 tons of carbon emissions per month.
“The move away from coal to generate electricity at our partner retreading factory, Pride In Tyres, means that we are well on track to realising our ‘zero carbon emissions’ goal, and there is nobody better to have on this journey than our partners, Pride In Tyres and Michelin Tyre Company South Africa. The companies we have partnered with, do not only share the same vision but have given us the creative freedom to come up with the innovations necessary to get us there”, says Warren Northing, director at Northswan Engineering
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the work our partner, Pride In Tyres, is doing at the recamic factory, as it falls perfectly in line with the Michelin ‘zero carbon emissions by 2050’ vision. Our aim is to have all our partners on the same page when it comes to our sustainability goals, and the innovations that we see make us proud to have the partnerships we have”, says Marcus Baffoe-Bonnie, Vice President and Managing Director at Michelin Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tyre retreading is the process of renewing the tread and sidewall rubber to make it possible for the tyre to be reused. The worn tyre casing is removed and taken through the process of renewing, and the new rubber is then vulcanized to its original casing. With retreading, 70% of raw material are saved for a retreaded tyre, versus a newly manufactured tyre, and there is 50% less waste to recycle on average due to retreading. Retreaded tyre provides 80% lifespan of a new tyre.
“The aim is to help our partners reach zero carbon emissions, and we’re happy to announce that this is a possibility at the Pride In Tyres retreading factory. We have been given the go-ahead by local power authorities to use solar power, but only if it is disconnected from mains supply and is part of our machine building function”, concludes Northing.
The use of solar will drop the carbon emitted at the factory to zero.
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