Mining Magazine > Panorama > GKN Wheels and Rimtec join forces

GKN Wheels, a leading manufacturer of off-highway vehicle tyres for the global construction industry has signed a new product development and manufacturing agreement with Rimtec Ltd, as part of a move to break into the global mining wheels market.

Based in Australia, Rimtec is a leading provider of replacement wheels and tyre accessories to mining customers for use on rigid dump trucks and other large mining machinery, throughout Australasia, South America and South Africa.

Working in partnership with Rimtec, GKN Wheels will manufacture large steel wheels, with diameters ranging from 49” up to 63”, at its plant in Liuzhou, China. The plant, acquired in 2006, is wholly owned by GKN Wheels and has benefitted from significant investments in skills, equipment and infrastructure to meet the cost and quality expectations for these demanding products.

David Eastham, sales and marketing director at GKN Wheels, commented: “This is a very significant move for GKN Wheels as it is our first partnership agreement in the mining sector and specifically in the aftersales market. We will continue to supply wheels to the earthmoving and mining industries, where we have been working successfully for many years with OEM customers including CAT, Komatsu and Volvo.

Ethan Winterborn, manager at Rimtec, commented: “To be aligned with such a professional and progressive organisation as GKN is a huge step forward for Rimtec. The synergies that exist between our two companies are significant. GKN has been working with major OEMs for many years and we look forward to our involvement in making GKN a recognised and trusted name in the large earthmover wheel market.”

In addition to supplying the mining aftersales market, GKN Wheels is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of standard and bespoke wheels for off-highway plant and machinery in the agricultural, construction, mining and materials handling sectors.