Tyre-import draft standards in circulation
Published:Friday | September 3, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Mark Titus, Business Reporter
A draft of the revised standards for imported used tyres, now making the rounds for comment, was guided by what obtains in other markets worldwide, its authors say.
But some of the measures proposed are even more stringent than what obtains in the countries studied, the Financial Gleaner has learned, because of the road infrastructure here.
"Yes, a draft of the standard is now ready for public comment," permanent secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Reginald Budhan, confirmed on Tuesday.
The ministry placed a ban on the importation of used motor vehicle tyres two months ago and mandated the technical committee for used pneumatic tyres, headed by Kenute Hare, director for the Road Safety Unit, to create the guidelines.
This, after a decision to relax the rules in order to clear a 6,000-tyre backlog at the wharves backfired and instead saw the amount triple over time.
Hare, the chairman of the committee which also includes National Environment and Planning Agency, the Ministry of Transport and Works, the Ministry of Industry, Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ), as well as traders in new and used tyres, told the Financial Gleaner that the members looked at models in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and New Zealand.
"The thread depth that we are demanding is even more than any of these countries that we used as a guide to create our standard," he said.
"For example, the UK has a standard of 2mm, Trinidad is 4mm, but our standard is demanding a used-tyre importer to bring in the product no less than 6mm, and, therefore, the consumer will be able to enjoy at least 65 per cent use of that tyre."
The draft guideline does not allow for the importation of used tyres over three years old, and demands the use of road inspection technology.
The equipment called a shearographer - used to test the inside quality of different materials - is seen by the committee chair as the best way forward.
"It's a no-brainer, " Hare said. "There are things that the naked eye will never be able to see, so that piece of equipment is crucial."
Julia Douet, director of standards at BSJ, said the bureau was now exploring the cost of the equipment - which, based on early assessment, is in the range of US$200,000 (J$1.72 million) - even as they seek to put the necessary resources in place.
But Douet is not convinced that the equipment is as crucial as Hare suggests, though she agrees that there would be limitations in assessing standards without it.
"The standard can still be applicable, but the decision will be left up to the minister, to whom we will submit the findings of our assessment on completion," she said.
Hare is not comfortable with the idea of the naked eye determining the condition of tyres.
"We cannot afford to compromise the safety of our road users, and all we need to do is to ensure that we have the casing inspection technology that will test the integrity of the tyre," he said.
"A visual inspection is good to some extent," he continued, "but a visual inspection cannot tell whether wires in the tyre have been displaced, or account for other defects."
There are some 20 importers engaged in the trading of used tyres who will now need a special licence to operate.
They buy mainly from Japan.
The new standards are be to legislated, whereafter the ban on imports will be lifted.
The consultations wrap up in two months.