If you’re considering a retread program, it’s not as easy as letting your fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages. Take the following steps to help save you time and money, and lead you to a high-quality retreader.

Reputation and References Start by selecting retread companies that carry solid reputations for their products and service. Ask retread companies for names of customers they work with that you could call.

Interview Sales People

Once you’ve identified potential retread providers, talk with the sales people. Are they knowledgeable about their business, their products and the services they offer? Do they give straightforward answers to your questions regarding turnaround time, retread tire tracking and pricing?

Visit Retread Facilities

Next visit retread facilities. Are the employees dressed in uniforms and look neat? Are they enthused about what they’re doing and talk about quality? Does the plant manager show you the plant and discuss the facility, new technology and the process? Does he have the right attitude and is he eager to show you what they’re doing? Does the whole facility look good, including the service department and warehouse?

Evaluate Service

What is the company’s servicing capability? What is the turnaround time to deliver tire retreads? Acceptable turnaround is no more than seven days.

Does the company offer a mounted wheel program that could save time and increase productivity when replacing tires? Does the facility offer 24-hour service? Is the retreader part of larger network regionally or nationwide?

Does the facility offer emergency road service? Major tire manufacturers offer roadside service as part of their retread programs. By aligning with a major tire maker’s retread program, customers receive consistent pricing of retreads at dealer locations and access to retread plants across the country.

Condition of Retreads

What is the condition of the tire retreads at the plant? Do they look brand new? Are they free of chips and flaws? Ask about rejection rates and the reasons for rejecting the retread. Plants should have that information and should be willing to share it with a potential customer.

Does the retread firm have quality casings to sell? What warranties are available for casings and retreads? The warranty should cover the life of the casing and retread or retread alone if you are supplying casings.

Retread Process Choices

Does the retread facility have a variety of retread processes? How many different treads are available? Do they have retreads that match new tire treads?

Information Technology

Inquire about the retread company’s information technology. Does the facility have computerized information about a customer’s tires and does the customer have access to it? If you do your homework, the chances of finding a quality retread firm increase dramatically. The payoff is quality tires available at affordable prices.