Russian car industry drives VMI forward

ERJ staff report (TP)

Moscow – Dutch tire machinery maker VMI Group believes the Russian car industry will help them prosper in 2014 thanks to their retreading solutions.

ERJ spoke with Dirk Reurslag, Sales Director Industrial Solutions & Services, on 22 April at the Tires & Rubber Exhibition in Moscow's Expocentre.

“The car industry helps ‘technical rubber’ to prosper,” he said. “The Russian economy is good and there is money – so there will be growth in the number of automobiles, which is good for VMI.”

The firm has been doing business in Russia for decades or “from the beginning” as Reurslag describes it. They were in the country “even during Soviet times” and were able to adapt to the changes that happened over the last 20 years.

At the show, like many others, they seek to forge new contacts but as he explained “deals are not done in one day”.

VMI have also, for over 30 years, been offering retreading solutions and due to their extrusion technology they have a “strong position” in this field.

Reurslag said: “We extrude the base of the clean carcass before a thread can be applied. For our ‘cushion to carcass system’ – we are the global market leader of this equipment.

“We have sold thousands of pieces of equipment.”

He believes the Russian market will continue to grow, but for new companies trying to enter it – they must have “proven solutions”.