Pending Duties Forced Del-Nat’s Hand in TBC Sale

Six months after a major management shake-up and the appointment of a “turnaround professional” to helm the struggling private brander, Del-Nat Tire Corp. will be acquired by TBC Corp.

The deal was announced to Del-Nat dealer stakeholders by an email letter from interim CEO Brian Grant, who was hired in June 2014 after the Del-Nat board fired president Jim Mayfield and Lyle Symonds, vice president of marketing.

Terms of the sale to TBC were not disclosed. The deal is set to close on Jan. 16.

In his letter to Del-Nat stakeholders announcing the sale, Grant pointed to uncertainty surrounding the pending countervailing and anti-dumping duties on China-made consumer tires imported to the U.S. Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Group, which produces the majority of Del-Nat’s Sentinel brand tires. The group was hit with a countervailing duty rate of 81.29%. Other Del-Nat products are also produced in China, but the impact of the pending duties was not stated.

In addition, with the duty’s 90-day retroactive impact, Del-Nat faced a “potential retroactive liability of approximately $4 million, based on imports that had already occurred during the previous 90 days (Sept. 1 through Dec. 1),” a problem that “could potentially increase, depending upon the anti-dumping (duty) results which will be announced later next month.”

The imposition of the additional duties “significantly impacted” Del-Nat’s turnaround efforts, Grant said.

“In light of these extraordinary events and their impact on the 2015 forecast and business plan, the board of directors immediately began evaluating all possible options after the announcement was made,” he wrote. Two groups – one being TBC – stepped up as potential buyers back in June when Grant was brought on board six months ago; the pending duties apparently exasperated an already difficult situation.

Del-Nat’s board, he wrote, “was in unanimous agreement that the TBC offer was clearly the best option and in the best interests of the creditors and the stockholders. After TBC made some enhancements we requested, the board agreed to accept the TBC offer.”

Going forward, TBC reportedly plans to maintain Del-Nat as a separate group under its private brand umbrella, as well as Del-Nat’s brands Delta, National, Akuret and Sentinel.

Proceeds from the sale, Grant noted in the letter, should be sufficient to pay off undisclosed debts owed to U.S. Bank, as well as to unsecured trade creditors.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."