Maintaining and servicing mining tyres can be a daunting task. For Kal Tire, it’s something the company lives and breathes.
Kal Tire is proud of its legacy of service to the mining industry, especially when it comes to tyre and rim management and maintenance.
A core part of its business, Kal Tire develops tyre and rim management plans for its customers to capitalise on their mining tyres and keep things running in tip-top shape. The tyre and rim management plans detail the key metrics that trigger and determine tyre maintenance activities.
“Given the importance of tyres to mining equipment, we’ve always offered tyre and rim management plans for our customers,” Kal Tire general manager, Australia, Wes Woodroffe told Australian Mining.
“It’s an integral part of our mining partnerships, and we set clients up in such a way that the plan aligns fully with their desired outcome.”
There are many different outcomes a customer might like to achieve from their tyres.
They might like to see an increase in tyre kilometres per hour, or they may want to reduce downtime.
Whatever the outcome, Kal Tire can tailor a plan to suit.
“The first step in enacting a tyre and rim management plan is to sit with the customer and work out what their site objectives are,” Woodroffe said. “We find out any previous issues, what they understand about their sites, and then we tailor a plan to focus on those objectives, whether it is maximising tyre life or production, or minimising downtime.
“It’s a team effort, both from the Kal Tire side and the customer side.”
Image: Kal Tire
One of the key benefits of having a comprehensive tyre and rim management plan is the sense of comfort it affords mine operators.
“Tyres can be a high-risk part of the industry, so it’s important to ensure every person on the team knows what their role is,” Woodroffe said. “The plan is the single source of knowledge each member can come back to.
“It can be seen as a real conduit between the corporate level and the operational level of a mine as it translates the overall mine strategy into specific and supportive tyre maintenance actions.”
As well as any special requests a customer might have, Kal Tire’s maintenance plans also include regular tyre servicing like pressure checks, rotation strategies and tread wear principles.
Like all of Kal Tire’s team members, Woodroffe is very hands-on in his level of service. He enjoys connecting with his customers face-to-face to learn about their tyre needs.
“A typical site visit might start out by sitting with the team and answering their questions, or talking about what’s been happening on-site,” Woodroffe said.
“We inspect the tyre bay to make sure everything is safe and up to spec, and above all, we make sure we’re doing what we said we were going to. If a customer is looking to reduce downtime, for instance, we make sure the maintenance and servicing we give their tyres matches that goal.”
The key to tyre management, Woodroffe said, is partnering with a specialist tyre management company with the necessary experience to achieve what customers want to achieve.
“There’s a lot of people out there that can just put boots on the ground, but for Kal Tire it’s about having the support network behind tyre maintenance that will help customers achieve their goals,” he said.
“Wherever there’s mining, you’ll find us. We have a dedicated team, and we’ll often have over 100 years of combined experience sitting around one table.
“Whenever that happens, our customers are always in great hands. We all care about what we do, and that not only gives me a level of comfort but the customer as well.”
This feature appeared in the March 2025 issue of Australian Mining.
