First-quarter sales reached US$45.6 million, compared to $37.1 million in the parallel quarter of 2006.

In addition, Alliance sales to the export market, representing 78.7% of the company’s total sales, amounted to $35.9 million in the first quarter, compared to $29.4 million in the first quarter of 2006, a growth of 22.3%.

European orders for agricultural tyres accounted for 72.1% of the exports, or $25.9 million. Exports to Europe grew by 31.4% in the first quarter of 2007 compared to the first quarter of 2006.

Back orders totalled $40.5 million, more than double the $17.5 million from the first quarter of 2006. First-quarter net profit totalled $1.4 million compared to net profit of $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2006. Operating profit for the first quarter of 2007 was 8.1%, or $3.7 million, compared to $1.7 million or 4.5% in the first quarter of 2006.

Joseph Anglister, president, credited the growth in operating profit to high volumes of orders and high productivity kept cost-per-ton. “We are investing in enlarging our range of products, introducing more sizes and developing even more high-tech tires to serve the valuable agricultural, OTR and forestry markets,” Anglister said.

Alliance exports to more than 65 countries around the world, including markets in Europe, the USA, Japan and Latin America.