Suppliers React to Claims Made About Chinese Truck Tires
Recently, former TIA president Peggy Fisher, who is well-known and respected throughout the trucking industry, wrote an article that was, well, a little disparaging and generalized about China-made radial truck tires sold in the U.S. I have every confidence that you’ll either know about it already, or can find it. Twice within the last week,
The Evolving Tire Landscape
Thirty years ago it was a much different world. Fax machines had just become a thing. There was no Internet, no such thing as a cellphone let alone a smart one, and the first PCs were appearing in offices. In the tire universe, we were still busy radializing consumer and truck tires; OTR and agricultural
Hagan: Linglong Americas is Truly Building for the Future
John Hagan’s varied 26-year tire industry career is instructive of how he got to his current post as COO of Linglong Americas Inc., and driving the Chinese tiremaker’s North American ambitions. Hagan started as a credit manager for Pirelli in 1989, moving to financial analyst and customer service manager. In 1994 he took his first
Thinking Out Loud About History, Laws and Run-Flat Tires
One of my favorite quotes is “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That was written by the Harvard educated Spanish philosopher, essayist and novelist George Santayana. Our collective history is well-dotted by instances where we failed to recall or understand past failings, only to be reminded once we have failed yet
Letter to the Editor: TIA Disagrees with Column
Dear Jim: We are writing in response to your July 20, 2015 commentary An Open Invitation to the RMA and TIA: Let’s Meet and Talk and we have to disagree with the basic premise that the two national trade associations do not presently speak. Over the past few years, TIA and RMA have continued to
An Open Invitation to the RMA and TIA: Let’s Meet and Talk
“The English and the Americans are two peoples divided by a common language.” That George Bernard Shaw quote, famously hijacked by Winston Churchill during the war, pointed plainly to how deep cultural differences can divide the opinions and actions of people who otherwise should in close alignment. Beyond making tires, Goodyear and Michelin, for example,
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.
Interview With Ted Hughes, Mahle Aftermarket Marketing Chief
Ted Hughes was named head of marketing in North America for Mahle Aftermarket Inc. in February 2011. Hughes is responsible for promotions, public relations, advertising, motorsports programs and all electronic and Web-based activities. He recently celebrated 15 years with the company, having served in various marketing roles since graduating in 2000 from Eastern Michigan University,
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