Kapuskasing company wins three-year contract with Detour Gold
It takes a lot of rubber to wheel nearly 20 million tonnes of ore to Detour Gold’s mill every year.
Murray OK Tire keeps that rubber repaired and rolling as part of a three-year contract to repair tires at the Detour Lake open pit gold mine. Recently recognized as a certified off the road (OTR) repair shop by REMA TIP TOP, one of the world’s leading innovators in tire repair technology, the Kapuskasing company is well-equipped for the job.
“Murray is investing nearly a million dollars into this program - in buildings and equipment,” said Patrick Audras, who manages Murray OK Tire’s REMA TIP TOP certified shop west of Kapuskasing. It’s the first REMA-certified shop in North America. As such, it employs the most cutting-edge repair technology. When doing advanced repairs, it can tap the expertise of a worldwide network of repair centres.
“We’re using REMA’s a experience from other locations around the world,” said Audras, a veteran of 23 years in tire repair and mine mechanics.
As part of its investment, Murray bought REMA’s specialized repair equipment, including two thermopresses for vulcanizing giant tires. The company also sent three technicians to Germany for training. It purchased and modernized a shop just west of Kapuskasing to house its OTR tire repair and REMA-trained specialists. It plans to build a larger, nearly 5,000-square-foot shop this spring.
The six tires on each of Detour Gold’s large Caterpillar trucks are huge. Thirteen feet high and five feet wide, they cost approximately$70,000 each, a price that makes repairs easy to justify, even when the fix can take up to 40 hours, Audras explained.
Sharp, shattered rock takes a heavy toll on tires. Punctures are the primary cause of damage. “When you run over the rock, it breaks apart and actually stabs the tire. As the tire keeps rolling, it keeps jabbing that rock inside the tire and eventually punctures it,”
said Audras.
Murray uses REMA TIP TOP methods and vulcanizing machines to restore a tire’s original durability. “We’re actually vulcanizing rubber into the injury,” said Audras. “We cut the injury, take all the separation out of the tire, fill it with rubber, then we cure that rubber. We’re using a press system to compress the rubber and heat pads to cure it.”
Preventive repairs can extend tire life. “The tire does not have to actually be punctured for us to fix it,” Audras said. “If there’s a big cut into the tire and we repair it, we’re going to avoid belt separation. So we contain that injury and make it go a little longer.”
Murray prepares reports with step-by-step photos, showing clients what went into each repair. It compiles monthly reports on the types of tire repairs so each client can determine where tires are failing from sidewall damage, crown damage, shoulder damage, belt separations or punctures. Clients can use that information to help manage their pits, Audras explained.
With its expertise, advanced technology and worldwide support, Murray intends to market its services to mines across Northern Ontario. “We want to go and knock at every mine’s door and present ourselves and what we do,” said Audras. “We’re hoping that we’re going to get more customers out of this,” he said. “Other mines are going to want consistency of repairs.”
With 52 employees, Murray OK Tire also operates an automotive tire and maintenance shop in Kapuskasing and the Peterbilt Kapuskasing shop in Val Rita.
