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
Plus Sizing Profits: Managing Your Business and Maximizing Profits is a Numbers Game
Years ago, one of my journalism mentors gave me some advice. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” he told me. “That’s a catchy sentence that might work in an article someday,” I thought to myself. I didn’t realize at the time how valuable his advice would become. The concept would ultimately prove useful in
Second Skin: For Retreaders, Technology and Service are the ‘Differentiators’ in Tough Market
Wherever the market for new truck tires decides it is headed, the retreading industry is hot on its heels. Of course, that job is a bit easier for Bridgestone/Firestone, Goodyear and Michelin, because they are involved in both. But even their allocation of time and money must be measured carefully. For companies like Bandag Inc.
Staggering Difference: Truck Fleets and Racing are Vastly Different, Strangely Similar
Many fleet operators still maintain that truck tires represent the second (to fuel) largest operating expense in their budget. This “truism” seems pretty amazing, considering the tremendous advances made in radial tire technology that have led to longer treadlife (original and retread), improved casing durability and much better resistance to injury. And it is surprising,
Back to Basics: Part 3: Compounding Can Be Dumbfounding
In the last issue of Tire Review, we talked about belt packages and left you with the promise that next time we would dig deep into the subject of rubber compounding – particularly multi-compounding. To help understand the complexities of compounding (and there are many) grab a stick of chewing gum and pull it slowly.
Knowledge is Power: Learning About Cutting-Edge Wheel Production Can Boost Sales
As the automotive industry incorporates more and more technology into every part of a vehicle, have you thought about how this technology is being used in the wheel industry? Let’s face it: You can have the most advanced drivetrain, telematics and fuel system known to man, but without a tire and wheel, it’s just a
Staged to Explode: Still Young, China’s Growing Tire Industry is Catching Up
Still Young, China’s Growing Tire Industry is Catching Up
The Ties That Bind: How Do Successful Tire Dealers Cope When Home and Work Collide?
What if your boss is Mom or Dad? What if your closest, most trusted business partner is your brother or sister? Do you need a psychiatrist’s couch or a punching bag? Or maybe – just maybe – you don’t have a problem working with and living with relatives 24/7/365. In fact, what if just the
No Big Deal?
Mallory Eddy’s stop was at the bottom of a long, steep hill on two-lane Peterboro Road in Smithville, N.Y., a quiet little burg near Oneida. It was a sunny and clear late-May day when the school bus pulled up hard against the right berm to let three riders off. The cheerful, chatty second grader was
Out of the Ordinary: Cooper’s Top Exec Discusses Recent Transformation, Global Ambitions
To get a sense of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and its chairman, president and CEO, you need look no further than Tom Dattilo’s corner office. Unlike the vistas other captains of industry enjoy from their lofty perches, Dattilo’s third-floor office overlooks Oler’s Drive Thru, a convenience store that stands as a stark reminder of
Direct Discourse: Have a Plane Spell Out Your Company Name in Smoke
Have a plane spell out your company name in smoke. Hire someone to stand on the street corner in a monkey suit holding a sign. If you’re the conservative type, add store signage or buy an ad on TV, in the local newspaper or on radio. When it comes to advertising, independent tire dealers have
Action and Reaction: Can Private Brands Survive a Shakeout?
When evaluating the private brand tires you carry, ask yourself one critical question: Can they survive a shakeout? “We are a pull through,” says Pat McLaughlin, president of SURE Tire, a cooperative buying group for private brand tires, about his business. “We can’t push anything into the market. We have to trail.” Reactionary. That’s the