TreadWright

TreadWright is an American tire company based in Houston. It manufactures medium and light truck tires by remolding, with 70 percent recycled content. TreadWright was named the 2016 green company of the year by Business Intelligence Group.

History

The company was founded as High-Tec Retreading in Colorado in 1981 by Rick Hawkins. He grew it as a family business with his sons Joel and Rick Jr. For years they focused on fleet and delivery vehicles like mail trucks. Then they moved to Hot Springs in South DAKOTA, where they started developing tires with aggressive mud- and all-terrain tread designs for jeeps, trucks and sport utility vehicles. They changed the name of the company to TreadWright to align with their new direction.

In the late 1990s, the business partnered with an Icelandic company to build a carbide product into their tires to run with less noise and wear. Pine Street Growth Partners, a private equity firm from Denver, invested in TreadWright in 2011. Two years later, the company introduced European presses and molds/endplates for bead-to-bead remolding of tires. The growing company moved its headquarters from South Dakota to Houston in 2014.

Production

TreadWright converts recycled tires into new tires for light trucks, SUVs and off-road vehicles in its manufacturing facility in Houston. The company acquires used tires and inspects the casings. Then the old tread is taken off and new rubber is applied. Afterward, the tire is balanced, placed in a mold/press and cured. Finally, it goes through a second inspection and balancing.

The company uses the same mold cure process as traditional original equipment manufacturers. Its tires are manufactured with 70 percent recycled content, using 65 percent less oil than standard tires. The company says its line of MT/AT tires cover 80% of the replacement market.

Awards and charity

TreadWright was named the 2016 green company of the year by Business Intelligence Group for its remanufactured tires minimizing the environmental impact of thrown tires in the United States.

The company partnered with the Expeditionary Veterans Association in 2016 to provide tires for recreational and therapeutic outdoor excursions for veterans.