High-Stakes Niche: Industrial Tires Can Offer High Margins and Opportunity, But at a Cost
In the simplest of terms, if U.S. factories are working at or near capacity, warehouses should be busy and the market for forklift or towmotor tires should be strong. To that point, the National Association of Manufacturers reports that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding, and manufacturing employment is up by 12,000 jobs as of
Fleeting Moment: Tap Into Wheel Bearing Service Opportunities Before They Disappear
You may only have one chance during a vehicle’s life to replace a sealed wheel bearing and hub assembly. Miss it, and it may be gone forever. That’s because the average life of these parts is 85,000 to 100,000 miles, even though most serviceable wheel bearings need maintenance every 25,000 to 30,000 miles or during
Happy Returns?: While RFID Technology Steadily Matures, ROI Questions Persist
Sure, hybrid-powered cars, light trucks and SUVs will save us money at the pump. Yet we pay a premium price for a hybrid vehicle. That’s what we call a “conundrum.” Though we save a few bucks on the family budget, we must pay for that privilege. And that extra dough we’re saving may not be
Money to Burn?: Simple Tire Tactics Will Help Commercial Customers Save on Fuel
With the price of fuel as high and as volatile as we’ve ever seen, many truck operators are reviewing ways to conserve that precious commodity that can so severely impact the bottom line of any trucking operation. You might wonder how this is related to tires. The answer comes in a number of ways, several
Alternative Pressure: Performance Customers are Good Targets for Nitrogen Inflation
What’s wrong with air? Like a slumbering giant, the passenger and light truck tire industry is slow to evolve and slower to accept new products and ways of thinking. Take the current buzzword going around: nitrogen. That inert gas has the industry and, as I found out, consumers, in an uproar about who and what
Expanded Capabilities, Smaller World
When we think about technology, we generally think about getting larger and expanding our capabilities and boundaries. Ironically, though, technology seems to have the opposite effect: It makes the world smaller. More than ever, companies – even entire industries – are tightly interwoven and dependent on one other. And it’s because of technology. To succeed
Waste Not, Worry Not: Fleets That Partner Up with Tire Dealers Can Take the Worry Factor Out of Tires
“He saves us tens of thousands in potential workers’ compensation claims. His labor costs are $18 an hour, while mine are $22. My overall insurance costs are lower, and I’m saving 10% per tire in labor alone.” That’s Scott Francis, fleet maintenance manager for Whiteline Xpress Ltd. in Champaign, Ill. He’s in charge of watching
A Fresh Look: Supply Problems and Advancing Technologies Fuel Retreading Growth
Suppose for a moment that you’re the owner of a candy store, and that, for quite some time, you’ve been selling all of the quality candy that you can possibly stock in your limited storage space. And, suppose that your customers seem to be happy campers and that, for once in your career, they aren’t
Built to Last: Smart Lifecycle Cost Control Can Help Fleets Squeeze Every Last Mile Out of Every Casing
Here’s a bulletin for fleet maintenance managers responsible for extending tire casing life: If you start a serious tire inflation program today, you will enjoy a 10% improvement in tire mileage expectations tomorrow. That’s only the beginning. If you add a proper tire rotation program, daily calibration of your tire pressure gauges, an alignment program
It’s in the Air: Proper Air Pressure is Key to Tire Performance and Optimized Tire Investment
Truck fleets and commercial tire dealers probably already know that tire costs are second only to fuel when calculating total operating costs. Managing tires properly – and that means being diligent in keeping air pressures where they are supposed to be – can maximize tire dollars. In a Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) tire failure
Looming Mandate: Without Help, Dealers Face Dark Future. How Will You Cope?
To many in the tire industry, TPMS is a four-letter acronym that is quickly becoming a four-letter word. That goes for retail dealers and, soon, consumers alike. But these people are only considering the hassles involved with servicing tire/wheel assemblies featuring these gizmos. Look a little deeper, and you’ll see the potential for independent tire
No End in Sight: Whether Premium- or Value-Priced, UHP Tires Are Here to Stay
Need some good news for once? Ultra-high performance tires have mushroomed into the single fastest-growing tire segment. From 2000 to 2004, sales of UHP tires were up 161%, jumping 32% from 2003 to 2004 alone. In terms of units sold, the numbers look like this: 3.99 million in 2000, 7.9 million in 2003 and 10.4