Process Mapping and Improvement in a Tyre Retreading Workshop in Abuja

This research applies process mapping and improvement methodology to a tyre retreading workshop in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, with the objective of reducing processing time, improving quality consistency, and enhancing workshop throughput. Tyre retreading is an economically and environmentally significant activity, extending tyre service life and reducing demand for new tyre manufacture; however, small and medium-scale retreading workshops in Nigeria frequently lack documented processes, resulting in quality variability and customer delivery delays. This study employs detailed process flow mapping, bottleneck identification using waiting time analysis, and cause-and-effect diagram construction to characterise the current state of operations covering eight stages: inspection, buffing, skiving, cementing, filling, applying tread, curing, and final inspection. Data were collected through timed observation of fifty retread jobs over four weeks and interviews with all six workshop technicians. Findings show that curing time management is the principal bottleneck, with poorly calibrated autoclave pressure cycles extending effective curing durations by up to forty minutes beyond the specified minimum. Root cause analysis identifies temperature sensor drift as the primary technical cause. Recommendations include autoclave sensor recalibration, development of standardised process instruction cards for each stage, and introduction of an incoming tyre inspection checklist. Keywords: process mapping, tyre retreading, bottleneck analysis, Abuja, workshop improvement