It’s Alive!’: Mysterious Technology Breakthrough Yields True All-Everything Tire
My jaw dropped half a foot, I suspect, when I entered The Bunker. It was a laboratory, if you could call it that, a good 20 feet below ground level. Accessible only via well-locked storm cellar doors, The Bunker was a converted Cold War-era bomb shelter dug behind an old barn in Middlefield, Ohio. That’s
Eyes Wide Open: Does Fog of Easy Money Obscure Reality of Car Dealer Danger?
“Some of these guys are really worried,” Bud said, gesturing toward a group of dealers nearby. “But I’m worried that a lot of them just don’t see it.” Bud Hogan, owner of Miller Motors, a tire dealership in Mankato, Minn., is a member of U.S. Tire & Exhaust’s American Car Care Center’s dealer council. He
Winter Vacations?: Making the Most of Dealer Meetings – Without Hangover Blahs
The accumulation of peanut bags in my briefcase tells me that it’s Annual Dealer Meeting time once again – the period when tire companies bring dealers together in one garden spot to rev them up for the coming push. New products are unveiled. Back-orders and low fill-rates are explained. And, promises are made that “things
The Finest Around: From Coast to Coast, Dealer Passion and Deeds Equally Strong
Often in this space I have offered concerns and observations about the tire industry. Criticisms in some cases, suggestions in others, but all with an eye toward strengthening your position in the market. I have been remiss, though, in mentioning the many fabulous things you and your teams do – often as part of your
Who Is On Our Side?’: Dealer Asks Tough Question, But Maybe the Real Answer is You!
Instead of my usual mish-mash of sticky note items and holiday cheer, I want to leave all of you with a philosophical question to chew on as we head into a new year. Who is really watching out for the best interests of the independent tire dealer? Seems like a pretty simple question, doesn’t it?
Reflection and a Pledge: Hall of Fame Inductee’s Look Back at the Early Days of the Rubber Trade
In recognition of the induction of Theodore E. Smith, founder of this magazine, into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame, we thought it appropriate to publish one of his last columns for what was then called India Rubber Review, which he had founded in 1901. Published 85 years ago this month, Ted’s reflections on the
Higher Standards?: New Form of Liability Suit Raises Issue of What Customers Should Expect
What do customers have a right to expect from your business? When they come in for new tires or complaining about some odd sound in the rear end, what level of service should they – or can they legally – expect from you? Should there be a “standard of care” for tire retailers and shops?
Pushing Rope?: How High Will Another Price Increase Fly With Strapped End-Users?
Rumblings are up about an upcoming round of across-the-board tire price hikes. No one should be surprised. Legacy costs, operating costs and, most especially, raw material costs, are chewing up tiremakers, especially those on these shores. The price increases invoked over the last three years have certainly been warranted, and, for the most part, those
Hanging High and Dry: Blurred ‘Facts’ Leave Dealers to Answer Consumer Fuel Economy, Aging Questions
Ford. DaimlerChrysler. NADA. Sean Kane. California. Massachusetts. Sen. Chuck Schumer. Four think old tires are a plague. Three are convinced OE tires are highly fuel-efficient. Nice to be loved, isn’t it? TPMS regulations aside, this industry – tiremakers and dealers – faces two major issues: tire aging and tire fuel efficiency. Last year, California enacted
Roll Over? Never!: Vigilance, Skill, Backbone Needed to Deflect Ongoing Tire Criticism
Despite the obvious political expediency – 2000 was an election year, after all – the TREAD Act wasn’t about penalizing wrong-doers, enhancing standards, improving technology or even getting a better handle on occasional problems. No, the real reason behind the TREAD Act, if you really think about it, is quite basic: People are ignorant about
Slicing it Extra Thin: Next Big Breakthrough Will Be Measured in Billionths, Not Billions
What will be the next great tire breakthrough? What will make radial technology the sliced bread of our age? If I’ve heard the question once, I’ve heard it a million times. It’s been six decades since the radial was invented – 30 years or so since it really hit the market here – but there
Always Keep Moving: New, Sharper Look; Same Commitment to Your Bottom Line
“Stand still. You’re going to end up all blurry!” my parents would yell every time they tried to take a picture of me, back in the days of slow-speed film. Everything was slow then. There were no faxes or Internet. No microwaves. TV was black and white with three networks. Rotary phones and party lines