Bridgestone Worker Wants Out of Union
The Des Moines Register reports that a machinery cleaner at Bridgestone America’s farm tire plant in the city alleges that both his employer and United Steelworkers Local 310 have deliberately violated national labor laws by ignoring his repeated requests to quit the union and stop paying dues. Terry Welch, who has worked at the Des
Pollution: Does It Have To Be A Dirty Word?
Even with today’s special emphasis on all things environmental, pollution has long been a dirty word, especially to tire dealers. And can cost your business millions of dollars without good risk management and insurance coverage. Is your business exposed to pollution liability risks? Are you covered? Can you sleep comfortably at night knowing you have
Consider Renting a CFO to Save Costs, Increase Profits
As businesses attempt to cut payroll expenses, many have looked to outsourcing the role of a CFO. Whether the company currently has a CFO and wants to cut back or needs to add outside talent to the existing organization, many companies are turning to an outside CFO. Most businesses, including tire dealerships, often reach a point where they need
Bandvulc Completes Network Rollout
Bandvulc Tyre Contracts recently established a network of road transport industry tire suppliers. The company has evolved its network after what it refers to as a “rigorous selection process” involving every aspect of the suppliers’ operations. The project saw 21 key service providers supply all of the necessary pre-requisite documents and evidence of procedures in
Dodging Disaster: Follow These Simple Steps to Avoid Costly Wheel-Offs
cy, broken or stripped wheel studs, warped disc brake rotors or loose wheels. Here’s a warning from a major insurance underwriter: Loose and missing lug nuts have resulted in terrible car wrecks, severe injuries, fatalities, bad publicity and expensive litigation. Although you may think technicians would never forget to reinstall and properly tighten the lug
CITEXPO Shows Stability Despite the Crisis
Tyres & Accessories – There are exhibitions where people are encouraged to “see and be seen.” And there are other exhibitions where employees from various market players meet and engage in what is important: doing business. One such exhibition is the China International Tire Expo, or CITExpo for short. At the start of September numerous
President Sides With USW, Sets New China Duties
The Obama Administration came down strongly on the side of labor yesterday when it agreed to place heavy additional duties on passenger tires imported from China. Late Friday, the White House placed a three-year additional tariff on China-made tires, starting at 35%, and then scaling down to 30% the second year and 25% in the
Angled Approach: A Refresher Course on Slip Angles and Cornering Force
This time I’m going to present some basics about slip angles and how they affect you and your tire customer. Let’sbegin by considering a car going through a corner. As the carprogresses through the corner, there is centrifugal force acting on thecar (and its passengers), which tends to pull the car toward theoutside of the
Monitor Insurance for Changes
As your dealership changesand expands, it becomes critical to discuss potential new risks with yourinsurance agent during quarterly or annual meetings. Specific business insurancerisks include: • Real estate: The value ofyour property has likely appreciated; thus, your real estate insurance shouldbe adjusted. • Inventory: If your companyhas grown, you may be carrying more inventory than
5 Questions With – Masatoshi Komai
Masatoshi Komai was recently installed as the head of Nitto brand sales worldwide. A long-time Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. employee, Komai is now the general manager of sales department No. 5, a group totally dedicated to the Nitto brand – handling everything from market exploration to product development to production planning to marketing. Tomo