Good Times, Hard Times: With Global Demand Straining OTR Tire Supply, Dealers Must Again Look to Customer Service For Profit Growth, Experts Say
After five or so years of just scraping by, the North American OTR tire market is enjoying a happy problem – warehouse-emptying sales. In fact, the global OTR tire business is having the same problem. But that happy problem has created a larger, more ominous issue: inventories are virtually non-existent, backorders are heavy and manufacturers
Flat-Out Profitable: A Little Digging Exposes New Opportunities in a 30-Plus-Year-Old Niche Market
Consider the power of this suggestion: No more flat tires. Ever. Nudging this concept into the realm of possibility is a group of products known by some as tire fill and by others as foam fill. Due to the variety of materials being used today, the most accurate term may be “flatproofing solutions.” Simply stated,
Just a Cut Above: BFNAT Targets Luxury SUVs With Addition to Dueler Line
BFNAT Targets Luxury SUVs With Addition to Dueler Line
Bargain Clutter Busters
Boston was invaded in July 2003. Not by aliens or a foreign army, but by strange creatures known as “treadheads.” During that month, six young men cruised the streets of Boston sporting an unusual hair style – a tread pattern on their heads. They also wore red T-shirts bearing the question, “What’s up with my
Advergaming: The Future of High Performance Advertising?
High performance tire and wheel companies certainly know a thing or two about how to reach consumers. Specialty enthusiast magazines are stuffed with ads from these companies, and most have highly interactive Web sites – all designed to reach that red-hot 18-25-year-old market. But a new and highly popular form of brand and product promotion
Fast Track to Profits DOT Racing Tires
DOT racing tires, also known as R-compound tires, are hot on the track and off. They boast decent margins, and they practically sell themselves: Customers are educated, experienced and already know what they want. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to be in the DOT race tire business. More than with any other tire product,
Right Repair Rates: Following Rules Can Keep Speed Rating, Some Tiremakers Say
ff cleaner. Goodyear adds this proviso: “If the hole shows evidence of fabric splitting, such an injury cannot be properly repaired using a standard puncture repair procedure. This type of injury must be skived out and repaired as a section (reinforced) repair.” But, while this will maintain the serviceability of the tire, it will also
CHINA: Dealers, Tiremakers Are Capitalizing, But Economic Revolution Has Issues
Today’s China-made tires may well carry the names Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear or that of other majors and are produced using the same technology, processes and stringent quality standards of those well-known global brands. Only they are being produced for pennies on the dollar.My, how times have changed.
Harvest Time?: Ag Tire Dealers Need to Act Quickly Before Another Drought Comes
, ag tire dealers hurt. The market for ag tires depends directly on the strength of the larger agricultural economy, which, to say the least, has not been favorable. Continuing farm consolidations, more imports and fewer exports combined with steadily declining crop prices have hurt the farm economy. As if these conditions weren’t enough, farmers
Secrets of Winter Tires
Ordinarily used in the same sentence with cooking oils, canola has found a new niche at Nokian Tyre’s winter tire plant in Finland. That’s where the "low-sat-fat" oil is mixed into Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tire tread compounds. "It increases the tear resistance of rubber and improves the tire’s grip in winter and wet conditions," says