Tire Review is showcasing 2019 “Newsmakers” — companies that have made headlines in the past year with tire-related news about new technology, plant openings, marketing initiatives, dealer program updates, product launches and more — that made the list as determined by top engagement on tirereview.com. After a brief overview of each Newsmakers’ newsworthy item(s), you’ll find a company or organization executive’s answer to this question: What can dealers expect from your organization in 2020?
News in 2019
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) announced many new initiatives that focus on its goals for the years to come. In March, the North Carolina Tire Dealers Association partnered with TIA to bring ATS 300-level TIA certification training to community colleges in the state. This year, TIA brought back its Environmental Advisory Council and announced a partnership with the Tread Rubber and Tire Repair Materials Manufacturers Group (TRMG) to include the TRMG retread and repair recommended practices on its website. The group has also added training sessions, including courses for non-technicians, to its Online University.
Roy Littlefield, CEO:
“The Tire Industry Association’s activities for 2020 will center around its 100th anniversary celebration and positioning the organization for success in its next 100 years. Those activities include a Federal Lobby Day and National Environmental Summit that will be held back-to-back in Washington, D.C., in the spring, and an International Industry Summit to take place during the Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show in Las Vegas in November.
“For Lobby Day, TIA looks to draw tire dealers and other association members from across the country to meet their legislative representatives and discuss matters of importance to them. This every-other-year event serves as an educational experience to learn about the workings of government, provides an opportunity for legislators to hear first-hand from their constituents and helps attendees better understand the power that their words and presence carries with their elected officials.
“TIA’s newly re-energized Environmental Advisory Committee is organizing the Environmental Summit, which will tackle, among other issues, the use of crumb rubber in the nation’s roadways. The federal government passed legislation in the mid-1980s specifying the use of crumb rubber in road surfaces, but the regulations have never been written.
“The International Industry Summit aims to bring together tire industry association executives, journalists, tire dealers and manufacturing and supplier executives from the U.S., Canada and internationally to discuss and address issues of mutual interest to the global tire community.
“For all three events, TIA will look to attain a consensus for resolutions that will be drafted and used to move the various positions forward.
“Along with these 100th anniversary related-activities, TIA will continue to expand its educational training efforts for tire industry technicians, including starting work on updating its globally recognized training and certification programs for passenger, light truck, commercial truck, earthmover, farm and industrial tire service.”
For more of Tire Review’s 2019 Newsmakers, click here.
Check out the rest of the December digital edition of Tire Review here.
