Vipal forms JV with rubber compounder Grupo Soledad

VALENCIA, Spain—Brazil's Borrachas Vipal A/S has formed a joint venture in Spain with Grupo Soledad, a rubber compounder, retreader and tire distributor, to produce unvulcanized retreading strip rubber for European customers.

The venture, with Grupo Soledad's Mezcla Caucho compounding subsidiary in Aspe, Spain, is the first licensed Vipal production outside of Brazil.

Vipal Europe, located in Valencia, will be responsible for selling the local production. Products already have started being marketed, with priority given to clients who already use Brazilian exports so they can attest that our quality remains the same.

Establishing a production venture in Spain will help ensure more efficient service for a product line that has a relatively short shelf life, Vipal said.

“We have a very close relationship with Grupo Soledad and this opportunity reinforces the existing synergy, with the goal of offering the market high-quality products with the responsiveness required to meet our clients' needs,” said Leandro Rigon, Vipal's director of international business.

The two companies have been evaluating the possibility of a joint project, according to Renan Lima, superintendent director for Vipal.

“For some time, we have been studying projects and exchanging information and technologies to ensure our production complies with the standards of excellence established by both companies,” he said. “We've invested a lot in this project and in the results we intend to obtain from the local market.”

Vipal and Grupo Soledad concluded the deal during the 2016 Reifen trade show in Essen, Germany. Financial details were not disclosed.

Mezclas Caucho has four Banbury mixing lines at its plant in Aspe, three of which are dedicated to the carbon black mixtures.

Among Grupo Soledad's holdings are the retreader Insa Turbo and Neumaticos Soledad, a tire distribution company.

Vipal has five sales offices and four distribution centers in Europe—in England, Germany, Slovenia and Spain along with distributors in several other markets.