Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • ITEC
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • International Elastomer Show
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Study: Vehicle buyers cling to familiarity amid pandemic
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      EU car registrations down 26 percent in November
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Bridgestone crafts virtual city to showcase sustainable-mobility initiatives
      Tire recycling faces challenges to increase markets
    • JobsOhio funding gives Sperry & Rice room to grow
      TRAC's Glenn Maidment caps 51-year rubber industry career
      LafargeHolcim looks to solidify U.S. presence with Firestone Building Products purchase
      Hankook Tire holding company adopts Hankook & Co. identity
    • First UTech Southeast Asia conference to be held in 2022
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      Rubber Heart launches new website
      Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
    • Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
      IRP Medical solidifies portfolio with KDL deal
      Rubber lab services firm Ace reports record year
    • Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Detroit Auto Show canceled; alternative event being planned for September
      Top Glove reopens COVID-hit factories with enhanced precautions
      Malaysia electronics group to enter rubber gloves sector
    • Maroon Group adds to Southeast sales team
      ASTM taps rubber executive as new board member
      CEAT hires former Michelin exec to head up U.S. sales company
      Axel Wersel named Vibracoustic COO
    • Paycheck Protection Program funding reopens Jan. 15
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
      Lobbying group unveils policy agenda to speed transition to EVs
      NADA, bank group to assess political contributions after U.S. Capitol siege
    • Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020
      Column: Lessons from the 2020 Best Places to Work
      Editorial: Silicone hit hard by pandemic, expected to bounce back
      Column: Still far way from normal
    • Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
      Impact of peroxide blends on the cure rate and aged properties in HNBR
      Techniques to detect long chain branching in polymers
      A comparative study looking at effects of curing kinetics and batch variation on SBR injection molding and numerical analytics
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
      IEC speaker: Specialized elastomers may reduce spread of life-threatening pathogens
      Rubber Division seeking abstracts for Spring Technical Meeting
    • WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
      Rubber Division planning second Women of Rubber event
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
      New products: 3M introduces new durable, pliable medical adhesive
      New Products: Lanxess launches energy-efficient PU elastomer
      New Products: MonTech automates bale cutter for safety, productivity
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Study: Vehicle buyers cling to familiarity amid pandemic
      Kumho launches commercial LT, performance tire lines
      EU car registrations down 26 percent in November
      Taiwan tire makers propose settlement of import duties case
    • Safic-Alcan extends distribution agreement with Momentive
      Momentive aims to grow silicone presence in Asia-Pacific region
      IRP Medical solidifies portfolio with KDL deal
      Rubber lab services firm Ace reports record year
    • Top Glove reopens COVID-hit factories with enhanced precautions
      Malaysia electronics group to enter rubber gloves sector
      IRSG forecasts rubber demand to rebound by 7 percent in 2021
      Bridgestone unveils AI-based NR tree disease detection technology
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Understanding and Selecting Performance Additives for Rubber Compounding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2020 International Silicone Conference Virtual Edition
      2020 ITEC Virtual Edition
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
August 24, 2005 02:00 AM

Vipal works hard at being good citizens

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    LOUISVILLE, Ky.-For Brazilian retread and tire repair product maker Borrachas Vipal S.A., being a good corporate citizen and an environmentally friendly company are just as important as making a profit.

    Perhaps even more so, according to Joao Carlos Paludo. He is a son of company founder Vicencio Paludo, who, at age 83, remains active in the business.

    "Our family has a humble history," the younger Paludo said while attending the recent World Tire Expo in Louisville. "My father started the business himself. He went through very hard times. We try to keep the values he´s given us."

    Those values include viewing the business seriously, being humble, not arrogant, as a company, and having social responsibility as well as taking care of the environment.

    "All of our grandparents came from Italy and immigrated to Brazil," said Paludo, Vipal executive vice president. "Originally they were very poor and very humble. We see that as a value."

    The elder Paludo established Vipal in 1973 in Nova Prata, in Brazil´s Rio Grande state. He had owned a gas station that included a small retread shop and found it difficult and expensive to get tire repair materials. So, in 1967, he began making his own repair materials.

    Before long, others in the tire business were asking him to produce repair materials for them. So in 1973 he struck out on his own and founded Vipal.

    The company grew and in 1982-the first year telephone service came to Nova Prata-Vipal made its first export sale to Chile.

    Today, Vipal boasts a payroll of 2,200, has the capacity to make 12,000 pounds of tread rubber per month and sells its products in 90 countries. It has three distribution centers in Brazil and seven in other countries, including the U.S., where Vipal Rubber Co. operates a 15,000 sq.-ft. warehouse in Miami. The other centers are located in Argentina, Chile, Panama, Mexico, Spain and Slovenia.

    Vipal operates three factories in Nova Prata that produce precure tread rubber, tire repair materials, cements and other items used to repair and retread tires. It also recently opened a precure tread rubber plant in Tultitlan, Mexico, near Mexico City.

    Vipal also has a compounding division that mixes rubber for tire manufacturing and other uses, a division that makes rubber flooring and a plastics division.

    The company exhibits its awareness of its humble beginning by continuing its commitment to society and the environment through a wide scope of support.

    "We try to search for kids in elementary school-kids who have above-normal intelligence," said Paludo, one of four brothers and five sisters working at the company. "We support them (thoughout their entire education). The only thing we ask is that when they get a job they (in turn) support two other students."

    The company also has set up a plant at the state jail in Nova Prata for making tire patches. That gives inmates an opportunity to earn up to $200 a month and a chance to reduce the length of their sentences. Vipal has 20 such former inmates on the payroll working in its factories.

    The firm also actively supports a local "soup house" that helps abandoned older people, orphans and the handicapped, and it backs a non-profit agency in Sao Paulo that deals with underprivileged children suffering from HIV/AIDS.

    Vipal also believes that every company must be environmentally friendly, he said. Since 1988, for example, the company has collected all the waste it generates and recycles everything it can, including paper, metal, plastic and rubber. It even captures rainwater for use in its industrial operations and operates its own water treatment plant.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • ITEC
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • International Elastomer Show
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION