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Goodyear Execs Discuss Follow-up Strategy After Successful 2009
February 19, 2010
At the 2010 Goodyear Dealer Conference in Orlando, Fla., Tire Review had the opportunity to sit down with key company executives to see what Goodyear is planning moving forward.
Participating in the interview were the following North American Tire leaders: Rich Kramer, COO and president; Steve McClellan, president of consumer tires; Scott Rodgers, CMO; and Jack Winterton, chief customer officer.
With...
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Five Questions With - Anthony Lee
October 20, 2009
Anthony Lee is the lead light truck development engineer for Nitto Tire USA, and was responsible for Nitto’s new Trail Grappler M/T line.
Take us through what is different about the Trail Grappler M/T compared to competitive products.
“We’ve focused mainly on concerns from customers. We did a lot of market research prior to develop to see what they wanted in this type of...
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Looking Long Term: Kanwar Has Apollo Tyre Focused...and on the Move
October 13, 2009
When Onkar Kanwar took over Apollo Tyres Ltd. In 1980, the company was a huge mess. Bad tires and worse management had driven the company – founded by his father in 1976 – into bankruptcy, its net worth wiped out five times over.
But nearly 30 years later, the 66-year-old chairman sits atop India’s largest tiremaker and a budding global powerhouse with sales of more than $1.5 billion...
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Change in Plans: Despite Recession-Driven Cuts, Toyo Chief Sees Opportunities
August 15, 2009
When Kenji Nakakura took over as
president and CEO of Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. on Jan. 1, 2008, he
never imagined just how hard that job would become. Just months into
the job, the world financial markets melted down and tire sales went
from slow to abysmal. Instead of steering the company toward its 70th
anniversary in 2015 on the wings of new investments in products and
facilities, Nakakura...
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5 Questions With - Masatoshi Komai
July 21, 2009
Masatoshi Komai was recently installed as the head of Nitto brand sales worldwide. A long-time Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. employee, Komai is now the general manager of sales department No. 5, a group totally dedicated to the Nitto brand – handling everything from market exploration to product development to production planning to marketing. Tomo Mizutani, president of Nitto Tire USA Inc., reports...
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Going Solo: Kenda Sees Marketshare, Brand Image Growth Opportunities
April 21, 2009
Just over four years after it began, the sales and marketing relationship between American Kenda Rubber Industrial and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. came to a quiet end. As of May 1, Kenda will reassume control of the sales and marketing of its passenger and light truck/SUV lines, a parting that both parties call a “mutual decision.”
During that four-year period, which started in...
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5 Questions With - Brian Sheehey
April 14, 2009
Brian Sheehey is director of commercial tires for Hankook Tire America Corp.
Q: Hankook, in the truck tire market, is really not that well known. Has that been an issue with product availability, or promotion or acceptance in the market?
A: The problem with the knowledge of the product has had more to do with our previous distribution channels. Our tires were, first of all, container...
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5 Questions With – Rick Brennan
February 21, 2009
We caught up with Rick Brennan, Kumho Tire USA’s vice president of marketing, during the company’s recent dealer meeting in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Q: This morning you were talking about opportunities outside the traditional tire dealer channel. What specifically are you looking to do distribution wise?
A: We don’t have any plans to jump outside the dealer channel...
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Forward Together: Toyo's Yoshimoto and Takagi Discuss Bridgestone Partnership
February 12, 2009
At the 2008 SEMA Show, Tire Review had the opportunity to interview Masaharu Yoshimoto, then president and CEO of Toyo Tire USA Corp., and Yasushi Takagi, then executive vice president and COO of Toyo Tire USA Corp.
Shortly after the show, Yoshimoto was promoted to president and CEO of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc., of which Toyo Tire USA is a subsidiary. Takagi was promoted to president...
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Getting There: Goodyear Execs Discuss Strategy, Outline Goals for 2009 and Beyond
February 12, 2009
At Goodyear’s annual dealer conference in February in Washington, D.C., we sat down with some key company executives to talk about what Goodyear has in store for its dealers in 2009 and beyond. The following is an interview with Rich Kramer, president of Goodyear’s North American tire unit, Steve McClellan, president of the North American Tire Consumer business, Joey Viselli, Goodyear...
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Sounding Off: TIA Execs Discuss Today's Top Industry Issues
January 13, 2009
The annual SEMA Show is a great time to catch up with industry friends, see the latest products and consider the latest trends. It is also a good time to sit down with industry leaders to get their views on current affairs.
The day before the show formally opened, we sat down with incoming TIA president Dan Beach and association executive vice president Roy Littlefield to talk about a few important...
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Parting Words: Retiring Micali Looks Forward to Where He Sees Industry Heading
August 08, 2008
By the time you read this, Jim Micali will have closed the book on his 30-year career with Michelin North America. The now-retired chairman and CEO has turned the reins over to Dick Wilkerson, and is now enjoying time with his family.
Micali, 60, won’t be frittering away his days. He plans to remain involved with MNA and Groupe Michelin as a consultant, and has joined Greenville, S.C...
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Still in Vogue: Hathcock Discusses Car Dealers, Tire Dealers, Products and the Future
May 22, 2008
Founded in 1914, Vogue Tyre has always been a little different, a bit more upscale. Best known as “that Cadillac tire,” Vogue catered to top-end cars and sold what was touted as the industry’s first whitewall, a stark contrast to the day’s solid black tires. Later, it added its now trademark white/gold sidewall stripes.
A family-owned company then as it is now...
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Changing Paces: With API, Kreitzman Brings the World to the North America
January 25, 2008
Kreitzman helped found the first version of China Manufacturers Alliance in 1998 as a partnership with a major Chinese tiremaker. In 2003, the company splintered, with the manufacturer-partner taking part of the business, and Kreitzman moving on to form what is now named API Inc.
Since the split, API has developed joint ventures and alliances in China and beyond and has developed complete branded...
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Balancing Act: Hankook Approaches U.S. Market with Equitable Brand Strategy
July 06, 2007
When H.Y. (Greg) Pae was promoted to president of Hankook Tire America Corp. last December, he brought with him the requisite international experience. More importantly, though, for a company often considered one of the quietest among tiremakers, Pae brought a strong and enthusiastic marketing background.
Previously executive vice president of Hankook Tire Co.’s American regions, Pae...
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Settled, But Not Settling: Turmoil Passed, CTNA Focus Shifts to Building Brand, Rebuilding Dealer Trust
April 24, 2007
Plant closings, union battles, multiple management changes, low fill rates, irate dealers, shifting directions…the last five years have been difficult for Continental Tire North America. But, the past is the past. Since the appointment of Continental AG CFO Alan Hippe as president and CEO of CTNA in May 2005, CTNA officials point out, progress has been made.
Even while it was sorting...
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Kumho's Charles van Heusden Details New Dealer Training Program
March 06, 2007
To follow up on the “Sunny Days” article that appeared in this issue of Tire Review, we sat down with Charles van Heusden, manager of training and product development at Kumho Tire USA Inc., to uncover more details about EDGE – the tiremaker’s new online dealer training and support program, slated for release in the second quarter of this year.
Photo: Charles van Heusden...
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Tire Review Talks With Kumho's Dave Hudrlik
March 06, 2007
Dave Hudrlik (shown below) is vice president of sales for Kumho Tire USA Inc. During the recent Kumho Dealer Meeting, he sat down for an interview with David Moniz, publisher of Tire Review.
In the past, Kumho has expressed interest in Formula One racing. Is that still of interest?
“Sure, but that is a lofty goal. We have a desire to go to Mars, and one day we might...
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A Different Approach: MNA Chief Looks at Hard Issues Facing N.A. Tire Manufacturers
February 21, 2007
Possibly the quietest, one of the most accomplished and certainly one of the most respected heads of a major tire company, Jim Micali has also had one of the longest careers, having first joined what is now Michelin North America some 30 years ago as a staff attorney. Micali worked his way up through a number of assignments, including two stints in France, before becoming chairman and president in...
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