Latest Grabber Set for August
Uvalde, Texas, might as well be the “headquarters” for Continental Tire the Americas; the company and its customers literally spend weeks there each year on drive-and-learn excursions surrounding new product launches or special programs. That’s not to mention the OEM-specific exercises and the tiremaker’s own rigid testing schedule. Already this year, CTA hosted waves of
Nurturing Global Growth
Changnyeong is located in the middle of South Korea’s Youngnam area. The Nakdong River supplies the region with valued fresh water, but it also carries ancient New Stone and Bronze Age relics from the country’s Three Kingdoms period, and Shilla and Koryo dynasties – 57 BC to the mid-1600s. The river also feeds the 5,550-
Students Reinvent the Tire Store
If you had it to do all over again, what would your tire store look like? How would it function? What would it feature? Would you go with the “that’s how it’s always been done” approach, or would you transcend “tradition” and look to capture customers with a new and unique approach? If you had
ATD Almost There, But Chinese Tiremakers Face New Problem
As Maxwell Smart would have said, “Missed it by that much.” Fourteen places. That’s how close American Tire Distributors was to making the Fortune 500 list. The tire distribution giant logged in at 514 on the annual list, not quite on the big board, but well ahead of the days when it couldn’t even hit
A Fair Warning to Customers, A Shrinking Market and A Plant Closure
Not necessarily a tire story, but…. We’ve all heard of the “bump and rob” where Driver A hits the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of them to get Driver B to pull over, at which point Driver A robs Driver B and gets away. There’s a new variation, which popped up recently in
The Return of Abraham Part V: Back Taxes and the Never Started Remodel
You have to hand it to the good people of Billings, they certainly know a pig wearing lipstick when they see one. Just like the good people of Tacoma and Ephrata, Wash., before them, the residents of Montana’s largest city have gained some real first-hand experience with the ever-shifting Abraham Hengyucius. You’ll recall that Mr.
Tackling the Big Questions
For 30 years, the Clemson University-sponsored Global Tire Industry Conference has drawn the attention of manufacturers, suppliers and dealers, covering every subject from training to marketing, from the latest in rubber compounds to the latest in government regulations. It has been the place to network while gaining new insights into technology trends, industry issues, distribution
Return to Mandatory Registration ASAP
Among the many current hot button questions being asked across the industry is this: Should tire registration be made mandatory and put back into the hands of independent tire retailers? The short answer is: Absolutely…and as quickly as possible. This is not a tough issue to handle, and we need to get it done and
How Does a Goodyear Online Tire Sale Stack Up?
While media everywhere were distracted by Goodyear’s move to “next generation” silica, most paid no attention to the official launch of its online tire sales scheme. Chicagoland was chosen for the rollout, which rolled out May 5. So with a worthy Zip code in hand, we set off to see how the system worked….and, more
Nexen Plans to Succeed with Focus on Improved Brand Image
Kyle Roberts is director of marketing for Nexen Tire America Inc., the Diamond Bar, Calif.-based country headquarters of South Korean tiremaker Nexen Tire Corp. A newcomer to the tire industry, the 38-year-old Roberts spent many years in key marketing posts in other B2B/B2C businesses like office furniture. He is charged with boosting the company’s fortune
ChemChina, Pirelli Can Gain Much in Deal
Ren Jianxin, the 57-year-old chairman, referred to the $7.7 billion acquisition of Pirelli SpA , as “revolutionary” for ChemChina, almost as though it was the mouse that had swallowed the elephant. In fact, Ren’s ChemChina, which he created 30 years ago on a $1,600 government loan, is six times Pirelli’s size, certainly the elephant in
Selleck: Performance Standards, Mandatory Registration are Musts
At the recent Clemson University Tire Industry Conference (at which I was a guest speaker), Pete Selleck, chairman and CEO of Michelin North America was the keynoter. In his 20-minute talk, Selleck touched on a few key issues both he and MNA feel strongly about. On still-pending tire fuel efficiency ratings and labeling: “The consumer
