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Launching a brand in a new market is never easy... even if that brand has nearly 60 years of established history behind it. This is the case with MatraX Tyres, which has roots stemming back to 1965 in Portugal. Now, the company is expanding into the U.S. with passenger car tires, with plans to add more tire lines soon.
"The U.S. market is big – it's the biggest market in the world. It's challenging because, apart from the size of the market, we are talking about different weather conditions and different road conditions between many states. We are talking about [which regions need] winter tires, all-season tires, summer tires. It's a very diverse market," Says Andre Bandeira, managing director for MatraX Tyres. "So, we need to adapt our products to these different markets. That's not so in many other markets, where we have a product that will already fit 80% of the market. In the U.S., it doesn't work this way."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Bandeira discusses how MatraX Tyres was introduced to the North American market, how the company is adapting its products to diverse U.S. conditions, the challenges and solutions associated with distribution logistics, and the importance of dealer support and relationships.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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They say that 10,000 hours of practice will make you an expert at whatever task you've set your mind to. If that's the case, what does 120 years of practice make you? (That's 1,051,000 hours, for the record).
In 2023, Continental marked its 120th year of retreading truck and bus tires. Today, the tire manufacturer retreads more than one million truck and bus tires worldwide every year – conserving resources and reducing costs all along the way. In fact, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT), retreaded tires reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% compared to new tires. The amount of recycled and renewable materials in retreaded tires can be up to 85%.
While the benefits of retread tires haven't waned, modern retreading facilities are very different from those designed a century ago. For example, today these factories use barcode tracking to monitor tires throughout the retreading process, which has significantly improved efficiency and data collection, allowing for better analysis and decision-making. Plus, today's factories have inspection equipment to ensure the tires leaving the factory are of the highest quality possible.
"[Continental's] inspection process allows us to know what's happened in a casing and make some good predictive models of whether that casing will be retreadable. From a continental point of view, we also have a high-pressure test at the end of our process so that we can ensure that anything that gets through the process is going to be a safe and reliable retread when it gets mounted on and aired up and goes onto the tire," says John Cox, head of retread truck tires Americas. "The overall inspection is going to keep the retread better as well."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Cox discusses the advancements and changes in the tire retreading industry, retread market trends in 2024, and the importance of tire dealers advising their fleet customers on the benefits of retreading.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Succeeding as an independent tire dealer isn't ever a "copy and paste" operation. What works for the dealer down the street isn't necessarily going to work for you, and what works for you may not work for a dealer selling the same tires halfway across the world. Yet, it's the same thread that lead to success for each one.
"They all want to make money," says G.S. Sareen, president and CEO of Omni United, the manufacturer of Radar Tires. "They're all looking for a product on which they can maximize their profit margins – and what are the things that will help them maximize their profits? Is it quality? Is your quality at par with the premiums? Are you punching above your weight in terms of performance? Are your designs better than the rest? Are you a one-stop shop for them? Can you give them the whole spectrum of products?
"It's quality design, range and availability. Surely price competitiveness plays a role, but not as much as people think it does. I think the other aspects play a much wider role because if you don't have those, you can give any price, it's not going to work."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Sareen discusses what it takes to meet the varied needs of tire dealers around the globe, noting that despite each market requiring individualized strategies, quality, design, range and availability must be consistent no matter where they do business. He also emphasizes Omni United's commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality, and what it means to "do the right thing" as a tire manufacturer.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Commercial tire dealers had their hands full in 2023, dealing with supply chain disruptions, fluctuating raw material costs and oversupply leading to less-than-stellar sales numbers around the country. The good news is that things are already looking up this year, but it's not simply by accident. Instead, commercial tire dealers are finding opportunities to improve their fleet relationships and are discovering new ways to adapt to the needs of the market.
"Some of the very successful dealers are being more aggressive. They're going out to their fleets and the industry and are providing more services, like fleet checks, air pressures, consulting on new tires," says Brian Sheehey, senior vice president of Ralson Tire North America. "The tire industry is a dynamic industry just as the vehicle industry is. Fleets' eyes have to be open and the dealers have to be partners in that, and the manufacturers have to supply that information to the dealers."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Sheehey discusses strategies for dealers to better manage their inventory, and how manufacturers like Ralson Tires are working closely with their customers and fleets to adapt to new demands, such as the needs of electric vehicles, sustainability efforts and other innovations.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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What does "leveling up" your tire business in 2024 mean? It's an easy question to write off while your bays are filling up, or when your phones are ringing off the hook, or when a shipping delay stops an important order from arriving on time, or when a customer is complaining, or when your shop equipment fails...
The list of trials and tribulations taking place daily in the life of your friendly neighborhood tire dealer goes on and on, and it's hard sometimes to take a step back to examine what incremental changes can be made to take a business to the next level. During this year's annual K&M Tire Conference and Trade Show, Cheryl Gossard, president of K&M Tire, had high hopes that the company's dealer base would walk away inspired to do just that.
"We feel like if everybody just focuses on getting 1% better every day – whether that's in their business, whether that's with working with their employees or in a department or whether that's in their personal lives – we just always want to continue to get better and we want to help," she said.
In this episode of What's Treading, we dig into K&M Tire's 2024 goals, expansion expectations and the details of the company's latest partnerships that have been engineered to help dealers take their businesses to the next level.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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A successful tire launch seems to fall somewhere in the middle of innovation, customer satisfaction and dealer support. By that account, Hankook Tire seems to have followed the tire launch playbook to the letter with the recent debut of its all-season touring tire, the Dynapro HPX, designed for SUVs.
According to Rob Williams, president of Hankook Tire America Corp., the R&D that went into the Dynapro HPX focuses on following the latest SUV trends while leaning into attributes that will meet the needs of a variety of drivers.
"I think we all know that the SUV segment has grown immensely in the last 10 years. When SUVs first came out, it was really looked upon as more of an off-road type vehicle. Today, SUVs have become the family vehicle," Williams says. "Maybe you take it off-road when you go camping, but we found out that consumers have a wide range of needs and that's where we had to look to ensure that we had products to meet all the different needs of those SUV owners. I'm going to say that today the HPX and the AT2 Xtreme are definitely our bestsellers for most of the consumers to drive SUVs."
In this episode of What's Treading, we get the nitty-gritty details surrounding Hankook's Dynapro HPX tire, with Williams highlighting key features and new technology. Williams also discusses the value of the company's tire test track in Korea, dealer support initiatives and the state of the supply chain in regard to dealers in the North American market.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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In only the past year or so, AI has opened a Pandora's box of opportunities to better care for customers and their vehicles – so much so that today's consumer has unlocked a new level of knowledge surrounding all aspects of maintenance.
Here's an example: A driver thinks it might be time for a new set of tires since their current set is looking a bit on the worn side. He doesn't own a tread depth gauge and wouldn't know what to do with one anyway. However, he does have an app on his smartphone that uses machine learning technology to analyze treadwear and creates an AI-generated recommendation on whether that tire needs to be repaired or replaced. Going a step further, though, the app communicates with the driver's tire dealer to indicate he'll be coming in for a new set of tires.
Zach Olson, founder and CEO of Treads, an AI-powered car maintenance platform, says this is only the beginning.
"I think when looking at it from the industry perspective, there's all sorts of talk of technician shortages, training gaps, and just really fulfilling the demand for the professionals on that side of the industry. But, technology can come in and start filling in quite a few gaps where if you can automate so much of the customer experience, the customer service side, so when a car shows up in the shop, you know exactly what it needs, what's wrong with it, and how to go about with the right solution – and the customers already paid for it," Olson says. "Technology's going to fill that gap where technicians can do what they're best at, and that's getting people back on the road safely."
In this episode of What's Treading, Olson, explains how the Treads direct-to-consumer mobile app subscription service can simplify the car maintenance process. He also details how the company's growth strategy involves partnering with a range of service providers, from small businesses to large national brands.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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It's hard to think of many places where electrified and autonomous vehicles are more welcome than underground. Large mining outfits depend on the advantages these attributes offer – mainly zero emissions and keeping drivers out of harm's way, respectively – to maximize profits and uptime.
To keep these and other OTR fleets moving, OTR tire manufacturers like BKT must constantly keep a finger on the market's pulse to ensure they can stay competitive and ensure they can best meet the needs of these customers. In many cases, these needs include aggressive sustainability initiatives, says Chris Rhoades, BKT's vice president of OTR. "Go to any major mining company's or aggregate producer's website and take a look at how everybody's got their own statements on sustainability and what they're trying to accomplish. Of course, tires play a big role in that," Rhoades says.
"As a manufacturer, we take a look at every step along the manufacturing process, from acquiring raw materials to the finished goods, to see what we can do to reduce waste and increase efficiencies. One of the highlights and keystones of BKT is we're the only tire manufacturer that has our own carbon black manufacturing plant. Approximately 30% of a tire's weight is carbon black, and we meet 100% of our requirements out of our own plant on that."
In this episode of What's Treading, Rhoades delves into the rise of electric and autonomous vehicles in the OTR sector, current market trends, and BKT's commitment to sustainability. We also discuss the state of the OTR tire market, customer needs and the complexities of tire supply and application.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Jared Kugel, the CEO of online tire retailer Tire Agent, made waves in the tire industry last August when the business appeared on Inc.'s 5000 list of the fastest-growing startups. Kugel says the accolades are due in large part to the company's customer-first approach, which has secured Tire Agent a loyal customer base and a high repeat purchase rate.
"Over time we've become more than just an online tire retailer. We don't want it to be so transactional; we want it to be relationship-based," Kugel says. "For us, it's far more than just the sale. It's before the sale, after the sale, and then hopefully we're great enough that you want to keep referring us.
"I think the numbers are speaking for themselves where people really appreciate what we're building. We're trying to become really the destination for tires for people."
In the latest episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Kugel reflects on how his background in the tire industry has inspired Tire Agent's business practices. Kugel discusses how maintaining a competitive edge in the tire industry goes beyond low pricing, finding the secret to success by focusing on value-added services and the overall buying experience. Kugel also shares insights on the company's operational efficiencies, strategic customer service methodologies and overall customer engagement.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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In August, Linglong Tire established a new subsidiary, Linglong North America Sales, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The company appointed industry veteran Geoff Doster as the president of this newly established entity. Now, with a few months worth of his getting his feet wet in the position, Doster stopped by this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review to reveal his vision for the future of Linglong, as well has how he intends to navigate the company's challenges and aspirations going into 2024.
"Linglong's been doing business in North America for 20 years, and the goal of the North American team is for us to first elevate our brands in the marketplace, as well as our marketing, our branding, our programs, our product lines, and segments to the market to make sure that we're actually hitting the needs of our customers and our end consumers," Doster says. "At the end of the day, I want to be a supplier of choice. I want to be a supplier that exceeds the expectations not only of our customers and our business partners, but also our end consumers."
On this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, we speak with Geoff Doster about Linglong's position in the market and his long- and short-term goals for the new subsidiary. We also discuss Doster's predictions about North America's competitive landscape heading into the new year and the advantages of being able to meet the unique needs of customers in different regions.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Rolling resistance, durability and overall comfort all play a huge role in tire design, but these characteristics are under a bright-hot spotlight in the context of electric vehicle tires. That's why Nokian Tyres recently revealed its "Electric Fit" symbol to showcase to customers that these attributes have been given special attention in select tires. The company uses a combination of factors, including tire compound, tread pattern and silencing technologies to optimize EV tire performance.
"Many of these characteristics are ones that we have been developing for the European tire [market] for a long time already, and many of these topics are actually such that they also happen to match with the requirements for EV cars," says Marko Saari, head of product management at Nokian Tyres. "As a result of that, we have gained quite a long experience on getting all these different characteristics taken into account, and we can tap into this expertise when we are developing the tires."
On this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, we pick Marko's brain about the challenges of designing tires for electric vehicles, learn about how the European automotive market is influencing U.S. EV tires, get an understanding of the technology needed to eliminate noises in the cabin, and even delve into the company's commitment to sustainability. -
In September, Bridgestone Americas released its new Potenza Sport all-season UHP tire. As with many UHP tire offerings, the company says the tire is targeted toward consumers who are enthusiastic about driving their sporty performance vehicles, but the tire has also been designed with a focus on regions that experience light snowfall. One attribute that especially caught our interest was the fact that this is the company’s first UHP all-season tire to feature Bridgestone's "Enliten" technology, which the company says is engineered to help optimize all-season performance and provide longer wear life.
"Bridgestone's position is that if the tire wears longer, we get more wear life that is more sustainable, and that's better for the consumer," says Dale Harrigle, chief engineer of replacement tires and Bridgestone Americas. "We like tires, but most consumers don't want to go to the tire store and buy tires. If they have to buy fewer tires, they have to use fewer tires, and that's more sustainable for the planet."
On this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, we drill Harrigle on the science that's been built into the Potenza Sport all-season UHP tire. Harrigle helps us understand how the tire technology found in the new tire works, the company's targetted vehicle models, and when tire dealers can expect new sizes to be released.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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When you think of your shop's most valuable assets, what comes to mind? Perhaps it's expensive shop equipment or the price that comes with employing skilled technicians. These are great answers, but the experts from Torqata, a data analytics software company that works mainly with tire manufacturers, distributors and retailers, suggest the answer may be a bit less tangible.
"Tire dealers handle a wide range of sensitive data. Customers provide addresses, emails, phone numbers, and even identification details for their vehicles. Protecting this customer data is paramount," says Tim Eisenmann, CEO of Torqata.
A tire dealer's sensitive data – including customer information and internal operational data – might be their most valuable assets, yet often times it can be some of their least protected resources.
"Modern times have seen a shift towards web-based shop management systems. This exposes businesses to a range of cyber threats, including phishing and ransomware," adds AJ Pryor, Chief Technical Officer at Torqata. "Human error remains a significant vulnerability."
On this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Eisenmann and Pryor join us to explain just how sensitive and vulnerable tire dealer data can be, some of the most common cyber attacks on tire dealers, the steps that can be taken to improve data security, and even a few of the industry standards and certifications that tire dealers should be aware of.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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If you support your community, it’s going to come back around to your business. It's a simple mantra, but sticking to it has worked wonders for Black's Tire & Auto Service.
Today, the business stands 55 Black’s Tire & Auto Service tire and vehicle repair centers in operation across North and South Carolina, and Black's continues to grow. There are also 10 distribution warehouses – seven full-service wholesale distribution centers and three satellite wholesale distribution operations – and a tire retread manufacturing center located in Clarkton NC.
“We try to participate in every community we serve across North Carolina, South Carolina and Southern Virginia,” says Rick Benton Jr., Black’s Tire vice president of sales/marketing, managing director ownership group. “Black’s Tire & Auto Service as a company has long held an appreciation for the importance one can have in the development, success and quality of life of others, particularly those in need.”
We thought the Black's team deserved a bit of admiration for its focus on people. Watch the video above to see us surprise the Black’s Tire & Auto Service team with news that they have been named Tire Review’s 2023 Top Shop Winner.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Reading the tea leaves is never simple for an OTR tire dealer. With the market so closely tied to typically cyclical industries like construction, mining, agriculture and forestry, many OTR tire dealers will tell you they've experienced their fair share of both feast and famine.
So far this year, though, the OTR tire market has been relatively steady, according to Triangle Tire's OTR Director Stephen Reynolds.
"If there's one thing that I've found to be true in the OTR world, it's that it's a variable rollercoaster. It's always either going up or down. So if you can maintain a flat line, that's something of a moral victory in my opinion," Reynolds says.
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Reynolds gives us the details on the current state of demand, as well as where he sees the market heading as we approach 2024. Plus, we learn about how freight rates and Triangle Tire's recent warehousing expansion are affecting tire dealers.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Over the last few years, Wegmann Automotive has found diversification to be a huge boon for business, whether that comes from various wheel weights options or the acquisition of Alligator TPMS in 2019.
"I think everybody's always looking for ways to grow their organizations. We have a very large amount of business in the wheel weight space," says Greg Parker, the national account sales and marketing director for Wegmann Automotive. "In order for us to continue to grow, we need to get outside of that and grow into new product areas. We're excited about this. I mean, obviously, valves are a critical component of wheels and tires. The more that we can put in that box or put on that pallet to ship to our customers, the better it is for them and the better it is for us."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Parker discusses the shift from lead wheel balance weights to non-lead alternatives, such as steel and zinc, due to environmental regulations, as well as how Wegmann Automotive is adapting to these changes and investing in non-lead products like plasteel. Parker also delves into how the addition of Alligator's TPMS business has enhanced Wegmann Automotive's business in North America, enabling the company to diversify its product offerings.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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There are four particular American tire shops where the shop floor looks quite a bit different than what you might be used to. Two enormous robotic arms are lifting 80-pound tires with ease, waltzing to an orchestra or shop sounds as they change a set of four customer tires in 20 minutes. According to executives at RoboTire, who've designed and installed these robots, these robots are just at the tip of the iceberg of their capability.
"We're ramping manufacturing, but then we also have continued to make new improvements. So compared to last year, the robots are probably about two times faster [now] than what they were," says Victor Darolfi, CEO and founder of RoboTire. "We've done layout improvements to basically minimize space constraints to going into shops. And then there is a whole new slew of services that RoboTire will be pushing out over the next couple of months from that side of the world to, again, add a better value prop to our end user."
On this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, we speak with Darolfi and Ben Wilson, senior manager of Operations for RoboTire, about recent dealer feedback, how the technology was designed to help control the technician shortage and what's next for RoboTire.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Kumho Tire recently launched the Solus TA51a tire, a grand touring all-season tire that consolidates two products into one. Kumho has also been simplifying other product lines as well; According to Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing at Kumho Tire USA, it’s a strategy that will become a huge boon to tire dealers.
“In 2018 we started this strategy of trying to consolidate all the lines, and there's a lot of benefits to this,” Denlein says. “One, you have an extreme benefit from the manufacturing side, because you're able to concentrate obviously just on one tread. From a developmental side, it's also important because it allows the engineers just to focus on one tread. From the dealer side, you're carrying less inventory and it's not as complicated. Back in 2018 we had 13 treads and now we have nine."
On this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, we grill Denlein on details about Kumho’s new TA51a grand touring all-season tire, tire segments the company has its eye on, and how expanded warehousing is expected to help tire dealers in North America.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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When your Average Joe or Jane hears the word Continental, what do think first comes to mind? A hotel breakfast? An airline? Plate tectonics? In large part thanks to Brian Beierwaltes, senior manager of marketing at Continental, many consumers out there first turn to the tires manufactured by a global tire brand.
Every tire manufacturer has its own unique marketing strategy. So, how does a Continental marketing executive keep tires top of mind?
"From the tire side, I really think we leverage our performance side of things and the value that we bring to our consumers, creating great products that ultimately showcase themselves and how they help people on a daily basis when they're driving," Beierwaltes says.
On this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, we pick Beirwaltes's brain about creating a successful marketing campaign for an industry giant; what consumers care most about with their tire purchases today; and what tools Continental gives tire dealers to help them close the next sale.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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A cloud of smoke arises from the GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS tires as Formula Drift Driver Odi Bakchis brakes to a halt. The tires are hot and worn after a few laps drifting, but they’ve kept Odi on the track for the full afternoon. So, what does in to the technological marvel that is race tires?
To answer this, David Poling, Giti Tire USA’s director of tire development and product marketing, sits down with us on this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, presented by AAPEX. Dave not only explains the technology that goes into race tires, but also how GT Radial’s tires for Formula Drift are built for the conditions and how this racing circuit serves as a proving ground for the company’s technology at a dealer’s counter.
How motorsports is the ultimate proving ground for tire technology (1:02)The history behind GT Radial’s Formula Drift partnership (2:15)What GT Radial need to consider in making a tire for Formula Drift (5:55)How GT Radial’s Formula Drift partnership influences its brand awareness and can be a selling point for dealers at the counter (9:00)Ways race tire technology can influence the compounding and construction of other performance tires (12:22)Major advances in race tire technology in the market today (17:22) Subscribe to the audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts and find the video version on YouTube. - Näytä enemmän
