Falken’s Honda Retires; Tanaka Takes Reigns as CEO

Honda will return to Japan where he will serve as an advisor to Sumitomo Rubber Industries for the remainder of the year.

Replacing Honda as CEO and chairman is Yasushi (Tank) Tanaka, a former director at SRI Tire Trading Ltd. in Tokyo. Tanaka joined SRI in 1976 and spent the majority of his career in the export and OE departments.

Honda joined Falken in January 1999 as president and chief operating officer and was promoted to CEO and chairman on Jan. 1, 2006. During his tenure, Honda increased the tiremaker’s sales four-fold and built the Falken brand into one of the leading high performance tire brands in North America, according to the company.

“Mr. Honda has served as a friend and mentor to many of us in the Falken family, and we all wish him as much fun and enjoyment in his retirement as he brought us while here at FTC,” said Richard Smallwood, president and COO.

If you’re a shop looking to sell summer tires, it’s important to know that customers looking for these tires have very specific needs. Let’s talk about why, before recommending summer tires, you need to fully understand customer performance requirements.

Unlike all-season or all-terrain tires built for diverse driving conditions, UHP summer tires are designed with one priority: dry and wet traction for performance driving. Lateral and longitudinal grip in dry and wet conditions are also important, which is achieved through optimized contact patches, high silica tread compounds and circumferential grooves to channel water. Generally, UHP summer tire tread design features large blocks and fewer grooves for more road contact on dry surfaces. The grooves are designed to channel water away from the tire, reducing the risk of hydroplaning on wet roads.