Kal Tire’s KalPRO range has made it easier than ever for customers to access the right solutions and equipment for their jobs.
Kal Tire has always been at the forefront of innovation.
From tyre management systems to thermal conversion and beyond, the mining industry has long enjoyed the benefits that come with purchasing a Kal Tire solution.
So it seemed like the logical next step to group these solutions into one sub-brand: KalPRO: Progressive Innovation.
“Our tools and products have been well received in the market for decades, and we wanted to make it easier for customers to identify a Kal Tire solution,” Kal Tire Australia managing director Miles Rigney told Australian Mining.
“As a company, we had been brainstorming KalPRO for a while, but it all came to fruition earlier this year.”
Image: Kal Tire
There have been six offerings and six innovation tools included in KalPRO so far (with more in the pipeline) including Kal Tire’s Tire & Operations Management System, or TOMS, its new TireSight offering, the thermal conversion mining tyre recycling facility in Chile, and the proprietary Ultra-Tread and Ultra-Repair services.
Rigney explained how the company’s Innovation Centre in Canada works hand-in-hand with KalPRO.
“The Innovation Centre is an input and support hub,” he said.
“It gives our teams access to a portal where they can submit a challenge they are facing performing a certain task with existing tools and processes.
“The centre takes the problem and, if possible, fixes it by coming up with a solution that can be rolled out across Kal Tire worldwide, like our GATR (Gravity Assist Tooling Rig) that provides weightless operation for heavy tools such as a 36kg torque gun.”
One of the KalPRO solutions of which Rigney is most proud is the Maple Program. Accredited and validated by SCS Global Services, the Maple Program uses collected data to recognise a customer’s carbon savings.
“Customers send us their tyres that are in need of repair,” Rigney said. “We conduct the repair and annually issue them with a Maple certificate that informs them about their emissions savings that they can use in environmental reporting.”
The certificate details the oil and emissions saved in raw material consumption and production energy during the retreading process compared to the production of a new tyre. The system features one to five maple leaves, depending on the carbon savings achieved.
“The Maple Program supports our customers’ sustainability goals,” Rigney said. “We’re saving emissions by extending the life of an asset rather than discarding it. There are also no off-the-road tyres manufactured in Australia, so we’re also saving emissions by not having to get new tyres shipped from overseas.
“The Maple Program is in its third year and it’s only increasing in popularity. We’ve been able to help our customers get the maximum tyre life possible and help them to realise the value of the good decision they’ve made in sending an old tyre for repair.”
And if customer satisfaction is any indication, the Maple Program has been a considerable success.
“When we provided a large international miner with their annual Maple certificates, they emailed to say how appreciative they were of our work and that they recognise the importance across their operations,” Rigney said.
“But we’ve also had a lot of positive feedback about KalPRO as a whole, too. We’re now getting people asking us directly if a solution is part of the KalPRO offering, so the name is getting out there.”
This encouraging feedback has helped Kal Tire to stay focused on creating the best possible offering for its clients.
“It gives us the confidence to keep investing in the Innovation Centre and continue to grow and expand,” Rigney said.
“Most importantly, we’re able to continue improving the safety and efficiency of our industry.
“We have a lot more projects in the pipeline for KalPRO, and we’re excited about the future.”
This feature appeared in the October 2024 issue of Australian Mining.
