Directa Plus Plc (LON:DCTA) is to work with one of Italy’s leading re-tread companies to produce better performing tyres for buses and lorries.
Marangoni will use Directa’s G+ compound to produce a bespoke product designed specifically for commercial vehicle re-treads.
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The compound will increase grip, durability and fuel efficiency and extend the life of a tyre, believes Directa.
Dino Maggioni, Marangoni’s chief executive, added the use of graphene would mean a ‘quantum leap’ for the performance of its re-treading solutions.
A pilot programme using G+ will start this year with a commercial launch pencilled-in for 2019.
Giulio Cesareo, Directa Plus’s chief executive, added: "Marangoni's approach to tyre re-treading is fully aligned with our core principle of using technology to promote environmental sustainability."
Marangoni uses a re-treading system that matches a tyre’s structure. That means it can compare with or even improve upon a brand-new product, is cheaper and avoids the waste problem.
Formed in 1947, Marangoni is the market leader in cold re-treading of truck and bus radial tyres.
Directa has already developed a bespoke G+ compound for another Italian tyre firm, Vittoria.
Vittoria was the first manufacturer to use Directa’s products, firstly in a carbon fibre wheel and then in “intelligent” bicycle tyres.
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