Take A Bow

Ever want to feel good about this industry’s place in the scheme of things?

Longtime Tire Review Editor Jim Smith passed away on Feb. 18, 2016. He was 57. With 30 years in the tire and automotive industries, Jim's communications experience included stints as a newspaper reporter and editor, a public relations manager and a variety of creative and management roles with a B2B marketing communications agency. A Kent State University journalism major, Jim served as editor for a number of community newspapers in Northeast Ohio before joining Modern Tire Dealer in 1984. After four years in brand and corporate public relations roles with Bridgestone Americas, Jim joined Nashville's Stumpf Bartels Advertising in 1992. He became Tire Review's editor in October 1999. Jim was honored with the Ed Wagner Tire Industry Leadership Award by the Tire Industry Association in November 2014.

Published: July 18, 2008

Our sister magazine Counterman recently published its annual Top 100 Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers list, developed in conjunction with AASA.

Tire manufacturers – specifically Bridgestone/Firestone, Goodyear, Michelin, Continental Tire North America and Cooper held five of the top 10 positions. BFS, Goodyear and Michelin, in fact, were among the top five; oil giants Shell and Exxon held the other two slots among the top five.

The gap (in 2007 sales dollars) between first-place BFS and 10th place Federal-Mogul was an eye-popping $12.6 billion. That’s billion with a B.

Thought you’d like to know just how important we really are.

If you have comments to share, send to me at [email protected].

– Jim Smith

The commercial tire market is cautiously recovering from 2023 challenges

To better understand commercial tire expectations for the remainder of the year, Tire Review recently sat down with Pierluigi Cumo, VP of B2B products at Michelin North America.

By David Sickels

David Sickels is the Editor of Tire Review. He has a history of working in the media, marketing and automotive industries in both print and online.

Published: May 1, 2024

Despite a tough commercial tire market in 2023 due to overstock and and the effects of a rubber-banding supply chain, some tire manufacturers are expressing a cautious optimism for stabilization and gradual recovery through the rest of 2024 and into 2025. North American fleets are focusing their efforts on operational efficiency and profitability amidst lower shipping rates.