Green is good for Millersburg Tire’s coming year

  • By Jennifer Kneuss
  • March 4, 2010
  • 643
                        
“We’ve been green since green became a color,” exclaimed Brad Schmucker, owner of Millersburg Tire Service and Millersburg Retread Division. His eyes twinkled as his trademark grin spread across his face, and he explained, “We have been retreading tires and recycling for 50 years, making old tires new.” Schmucker credits the expertise of longtime shop manager Lee Hunter, who has been with the company for 22 years, and a dedicated staff for contributing much to the success of the business. “You can’t have a good company unless you have really good people to work with you. I’m very blessed to have people like that to work with. We figured that our employees have a combined experience of over 300 years in the tire business.” Millersburg Tire Service is a family company. Originally begun by Schmucker’s Dad (Sheldon) and Uncle Art Miller, the business passed on to the next generation. Now, son Brandon, daughter Brittany Miller, and Brad’s wife, Diane, continue the tradition of excellence synonymous with the company name. The retread shop cycles through 100 to 200 tires each week. “We’re about quality, rather than quantity,” explained Schmucker. Each tire begins its journey by arriving at the shop, either solo or with perhaps an entire truckload of tires in need of new life. Tires pass through both a full visual and mechanical inspection, including going through the scrutiny of a non-destructive, or NDT, test, to determine what will need to be done. From there, it goes through a buffing process, where all old rubber tread is removed. “We even recycle the rubber dust,” stated Hunter, pointing to the collection tubes leading to an outside container. “It goes for playground mulch, rubber hoses, and other useful things.” All larger rubber scraps are also recycled. Hunter noted that the shop recycles many school bus tires, with the rubber, ironically, being returned to school playgrounds. “There’s no waste here.” An extensive monorail system moves tires from station to station. At this point, tires are coated with a special adhesive, sealed in a rubber “envelope” by technicians, then, using time, temperature, and air pressure, are cured and molded into the new product, which is shaved of any extra rubber, cleaned, and painted with new tire paint. “A retread can outlive a lot of new tires,” said Schmucker. “These guys do a professional job. These tires are safe.” Schmucker estimated that he has personally “rubbed the nubbins off” more than a quarter of a million tires during his time in the shop. “We are a unique retread facility,” added the younger Schmucker, Brandon. “We do stuff that nobody else does.” The shop is currently working with a new tread design for skid loaders, and is developing a tire tread mold to make the process more efficient in 2010. “We do passenger cars, light trucks, and smaller semi-tires. We also retread foam-filled tires and solid tow motor tires.” “The tire industry is trying to come up with synthetic rubber tires to replace the need for the natural rubber obtained from the Far East. At one point, we did work for an unnamed worldwide company, who came in and kind of commandeered this whole place. They buffed off brand new tires and put their compound of synthetic rubber on in its place, in order to test its viability. We also sell to a dealer who supplies our retread tires to Cleveland Hopkins Airport. You could say we specialize in specialty items.” Millersburg Tire is also well known as Ohio’s farm tire leader. As 2010 begins, the Schmuckers look forward to another year of providing 40,000 to 50,000 quality tires to customers in Ohio and more than half a dozen other states. “If things keep growing, we might have to hire more people,” commented Brad Schmucker. By the tone of his voice, he wholeheartedly welcomes this situation. “Also, we are planning on hosting a public open house at our retread facility sometime in 2010, so the public can come in and see what we do here. We’ll have refreshments, and tours of the facility. Watch for it.” It is clear that Millersburg Tire Service is a unique company with a unique niche. Brad Schmucker is quick to note that their recycling oriented company is grateful for its strong customer base, and looks forward to continuing their tradition of service and excellence. “We’re lucky to live in a good community where good people support us.”


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