Buying Used Tires Online vs. Recycling Them
Nice to be back in the saddle. Took a brief break. Had to put some hay in the barn, as they say, but we’re back to regular service for the foreseeable future. Now, where were we? Oh yeah… Do you crack a slight smile when you hear the words “classifieds” and “tires” in the same
Jammin’ With the Lug Nutz & Googling Zagat
Funny thing about music: When you start playing, it just rolls on and on and on. That’s what happened some time ago at Ford’s Tire Pros in Orangeburg, S.C., where Freddie Ford spends his days selling and servicing local and very loyal customers with the best in tires and vehicle service. One night a week,
Managing China & Walking on Old Tires
Recently, Wall Street Journal reporter Alexandra Wexler interviewed Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s Pierre Cohade, who heads up the tiremaker’s Asia-Pacific operations. Cohade offered his thoughts on the tire market in China and the competitive pressures Goodyear faces in that country. WSJ: What are your biggest challenges in China? Cohade: Everyone is getting double digits
Catching Up With GM, Prison Bibles, Chuck Curcio & China’s Michelin Love Fest
Earlier this year we reported about 2007-08 model year Chevy Impalas and their dodgy, tire eating rear ends. Drivers were getting maybe 6,000 miles out of a set of tires thanks to what civilian mechanics were claiming was a serious suspension design flaw. A class action suit filed on behalf of thousands of owners sought
Some Things You’ll Just Never See?
If, like me, you drink coffee – and I drink a lot of coffee – raw material costs have been a HUGE issue. Between April 2010 and July 2011, coffee futures have risen from $1.27 per pound to $2.10, with a stop at $2.31 in between. These days, when coffee is "on sale," that usually
Updated Goodyear Assurance Gets 16-City Launch Demo Tour
Goodyear’s new Assurance TripleTred All-Season is hitting the road – literally – by embarking on a grueling 16-city tour to support its official launch.First shown at January’s Goodyear national dealer meeting in Dallas, the Assurance TripleTred All-Season will take center stage at a dealer-centric roadshow that kicked off in late July with a special event
Web, E-Newsletter, Magazine: Read All About It Everywhere
All men (and women) may have been created equal, but that is not the case with tire industry news. If that news is about you and your business, it’s the most vital information in the world. If it’s about one of your suppliers or a competitor, then you’d be rightly interested. A new product or
Always Ready and Willing to Feed the Conspiracy Beast
Well, this bit of news ought to get them going again! No sooner had we posted my blog about the ill-fated maiden voyage of a new military airship being created here in Akron by Lockheed-Martin (‘Oh God, UFOs Are Attacking Pittsburgh!!!’) than reader posts espousing all manner of conspiracy began popping. Oh, there was one
How Rowdy is Too Rowdy When it Comes to Customers?
What would you do if a customer walked into your store with a goat? Or if a tire-kicker had a pizza delivered – and ate it – right in your showroom? Perhaps came in with their own personal horn section, playing for all while the customer checked out your products? If you were an Apple
‘Oh God, UFOs Are Attacking Pittsburgh!!!’
While that’s a refrain any Cleveland Browns fan would love, there were no UFOs buzzing the greater Pittsburgh area on July 27. It just seemed that way when a shiny silver experimental blimp crash-landed in Greene County, Pa.
It Takes Some Mighty Big…Well, You Know…to Take on a Major
There it was, big as life on a web page from NTNews.com.au. A headline only an Australian copy editor could love (and one I secretly wished I had a shot at). "Butting Heads Over Sheep Nuts Balls-up" Oh, those cheeky Aussies! The July 13 story told the tale of George Mikhael, owner of NT Tyre
Taking Good-Better-Best to Good-Better
The head of massive Middle East tire distributor Al Dobowi Group is virtually unknown on these shores. But the chairman, Surender Singh Kandhari, may understand the tire business far better than many of his American counterparts. Kandhari apparently stunned more than a few people with his recent assertion that, in his view, there is no