Treading carefully: How Vaculug has been offering sustainable tyre solutions since 1950

Vaculug is a commercial tyre retreading specialist based on a 12-acre site in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The company produces retread tyres for fleets across the UK, while also offering effective and practical fleet management solutions. Jorge Crespo, Managing Director, shares the organisation’s commitment to people and the planet.

“The last 12 months have been about consolidating the work we’ve been doing over the last three years,” he begins. “Following its change of ownership, the company has experienced a turnaround. While Vaculug is a well-established company with a rich history and all the benefits that brings, we were in a position where we needed to bring about cultural change. “The business was not particularly dynamic, so we’ve been doing a lot of work to transform the culture and recruit talented, lateral thinkers from both within and outside the industry.

The three biggest elements we focused on were people, systems, and investment. Several employees retired, so we went the other way and started recruiting heavily rather than laying people off during the pandemic. We are embarking on a journey to attract and recruit talent to help shape the company and generate this cultural change.

“We have also invested heavily in more modern technologies, equipment, and tooling to drive process efficiency. We decided it was important to be more forward-thinking in terms of being less reliant on human input and more focused on automating systems and processes. The last three years have been volatile, and we’ve faced different challenges, but it’s been about navigating and weathering the storm while implementing our long-term vision.

It has worked out well. We will have a very good year this year, both financially and in terms of growth in products and services. “Previously, 70% of turnover was product-based.

Today, it’s more of an equal balance between product and fleet management services. We provide services to clients operating in different sectors, such as supermarkets, recycling, waste management, councils, and logistics. In 2020, we handled about 50,000 vehicles.

By the end of 2024, that number will have doubled,” Jorge continues. “We are in the recycling business, part of the circular economy. Our retreading processes extend the life of tyres, reducing the need for new raw materials and minimising waste.

Vaculug is dedicated to reducing waste, reusing materials, and recycling resources whenever possible. Our commitment to the environment extends to energy conservation. Our facilities are designed with energy efficiency in mind, incorporating technologies that minimise energy consumption.

By embracing renewable energy sources and implementing smart energy management systems, we reduce our carbon footprint and lead by example. Equally, our vehicles are all either hybrid or fully electric.” Vaculug’s approach to sustainability extends beyond the boardroom to encompass responsible corporate governance. “We are working on several social responsibility initiatives.

We actively engage with communities, rolling up our sleeves and getting involved in projects that bring about positive transformation. It’s not just about giving; it’s about being present, being part of the community, and making a direct impact. We collaborate with local institutions and charities.

From education to environmental conservation, healthcare to community development, our charitable initiatives span a spectrum of causes. Through scholarships, mentorship programs, and educational support, people can come and learn about different aspects of the company. In this way, we’re helping to pave the way for future leaders,” Jorge shares.

“Vaculug is about being a team. We aim to attract talented people to join us and enable them to grow within the team and alongside the company as it steers in a new direction. I am a believer in forward thinking.

It’s important to do things differently, acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, think outside the box, and improve on what’s been done before. “We allow people to be creative. In terms of innovation, we aim to anticipate our consumers’ future needs and take the developments in vehicle manufacturing into account.

We also developed a sustainability forum this year to brainstorm the next big thing alongside service providers and fleet managers. This allows us to assess market needs. We held our first forum in April, had our second in October, and the next is scheduled for April 2024.

It’s surprising how beneficial these types of initiatives can be. “As an organisation, we need to make money, but first and foremost, our business is about our people, and we want to ensure that we’re looking after them. We hold annual family gatherings which are successful events that help to nurture our family culture.”

Looking to the future, Jorge would like to see the business in a very different space to where it is today. “The company is certainly going in the right direction. I’m a firm believer, however, that you can’t control the future. The past few years have been a testament to that.

The only thing you can control is your attitude and how you respond to the events coming your way. I’m not talking about being reactive, but rather being responsive so that you are capable of navigating whatever challenges come your way. “Manufacturing in the UK is expensive compared to other parts of the world, and the competitive, cost-effective Asian products are a challenge.

We need to do things differently to remain competitive. From inflation to raw materials and labour shortages, there will always be challenges, but that doesn’t mean they’re insurmountable. I see opportunities as well.

We are in a very dynamic market. The UK market is at the forefront of Europe. You have to be very competitive, which means you must also be very resourceful.

So, there is a massive opportunity for us,” he concludes.