Early Spring Kick-Starts Lawn and Garden Tire Segment
While the mild winter experienced throughout most of North America may have hurt winter tire sales, one tire segment saw a benefit. The lawn and garden tire market – which has seen slow, steady growth for the past several years – is starting 2012 off strong, particularly on the commercial landscaping side. “We’ve seen a
High Demand, Changing Trends in Giant OTR Segment
Strong demand for the tires that are vital to the global mining industry can indeed be viewed as a positive indicator, but it also can mean shortages in certain sizes that equipment manufacturers, tiremakers and tire dealers all must tackle.
Growing, Shifting Ag Market Calls for New Tire Trends
Last year was an important one for agriculture. Almost all areas of the market were up considerably, with many tire dealers and tire manufacturers seeing a record year in sales and profits. I have been around agriculture all my life and last year was one not seen since the heydays of the 1970s. There were
As Economy Rebounds, So Does Small OTR Tire Segment
The cyclical, unpredictable nature of the OTR tire segment definitely provides a challenge. And because the market is so strongly tied to construction trends and the economy, the past decade has been somewhat of a wild ride.The extremely high demand seen pre-recession took a nosedive when the economy slumped and construction ground to a halt
Utility Applications Hold Demand Steady in ATV/UTV Tire Segment
While sales of recreational all-terrain vehicles took a steep drop during the recent tough economic times, steady sales of utility terrain vehicles helped to stabilize the overall ATV/UTV market. The lag in equipment sales – and subsequent upswing as the economy began to rebound – was mirrored by ATV/UTV tire sales. The good news for
How Dealers Can Chase Down Profits in the Police/Pursuit Tire Market
To keep up with their demanding jobs, law enforcement officials need vehicles – and tires – that are up to the task. Enter the high-speed, high-performing market of police/pursuit tires. While compared to standard passenger tires, the segment isn’t particularly challenging from an SKU perspective, but dealers in the police/pursuit market must be adept at
Selecting the Correct OTR Tire Benefits Everyone
Demand placed on your customers to deliver their end products at competitive prices puts a lot of pressure on the commercial tire dealer. No longer can a salesperson assume that supplying the same product to the customer is the right thing to do for both parties.OTR tire customers are looking for ways to improve their
In Fast-Growing Farm Tire Market, Recession is a Distant Past
Overall, North American farmers have had a good year. High commodity prices for grain and cotton, coupled with improved milk and pork prices and record high beef prices have resulted in farmers having profits to spend updating their equipment – and their tires. In 2011, agricultural commodities prices went up by 31%, according to Jeff
Put in Extra Effort to Servicing the Farm Tire Market
When I was a tire manufacturer representative in the 1990s, I was talking to a dealer who for 20 minutes told me how he hated selling to farmers. The farmers complained too much about the price of tires, he said, they didn’t want to pay for service, they paid late, they wanted 24-hour field service
Tires for Versatile Skid-Steer Loaders Offer Dealers Steady Profits
When discussing investments and economic security, most experts recommend the same strategy: diversification. That way, when one segment of the market falls, all your eggs aren’t in the same proverbial basket. In a way, the same principle can be applied to the skid-steer loader tire market. Because of the machine’s capacity for special attachments and
Blossoming Landscape Tire Segment Brings Dealers Added Opportunities
Spring is in the air, and so are signs of recovery when it comes to replacement tire sales. And of course, there’s also the sound of homeowners and professional landscapers everywhere firing up their lawn equipment for the season. All these factors combined offer a promising outlook for tire dealers working the landscaping tire market.Last
Golf Course Tire Growth Slowed by Decline in Play
After a slump in 2009 and another slow year in 2010, it appears golf course business in the U.S. has scored a double bogey as of late. While the numbers may vary by geographic location, overall total rounds played in 2010 were down compared to the year before – a drop of 2% for public