From the store counter to the plant floor and back
Most customers never see a retread plant. They hand casings to the Purcell store they already use and, some time later, retreads come back. What happens in between is worth knowing, because each step is a point where a casing either continues or stops.
Collection. The store gathers casings from customers and arranges transport to the plant. Anything you can tell the store about a casing, where it ran and why it came off, travels with it.
Inspection. Every casing is examined before any work is done. This is where the plant decides whether the structure can carry new tread. Damage from running flat, chronic under-inflation, or injuries left unrepaired usually ends a casing here.
Buffing. The old tread is removed down to a prepared surface, ready to bond with new rubber.
Repair. Injuries that can be repaired are repaired. A casing with a sound structure and a fixable puncture or cut can still go on to be retreaded.
New tread and curing. Fresh tread rubber is applied and cured onto the casing.
Final inspection. The finished tire is checked before it leaves.
Return. The retread travels back to the store, ready to run, and the customer collects it there.
What this means for the customer
The part you control is the first step. Casings that arrive with an honest history, pulled before they ran flat and sent before damage spread, give the inspection something to pass. Ask your store which casings it accepts for your vehicles and positions; it can tell you what the program takes.
Where the plant sits
This is also the company's founding address. Purcell has worked from 301 N. Hall Street in Potosi since 1936, and the corporate office is here alongside the plant.
Who sends casings here
Missouri stores collecting casings for the program include Osage Beach, Viburnum, De Soto, Fenton, Jackson, Joplin, Kansas City, Springfield and Washington.
See Purcell retreading for how the program works and for the 54 locations that collect casings.