Planning the Perfect Bay
eir job is to use the opportunity to make you money. OK, Now What? Once you’ve assembled a list of recommendations, the next thing to figure out is which changes will give you the most bang for your buck. Spending $50,000 on a new state-of-the-art alignment system may not be a wise investment if your
Mounting the Big Boys
Over the last several months, we’ve seen how the demand for ultra-large wheels has risen even higher. The 24-inchers have been out for a year now, and 26-inchers are on the horizon. We’ve covered the marketing potential of selling these monsters, so now it’s time to talk about the equipment necessary to handle them. We’ll
Balancing for Bucks
Balancing For Bucks So what if a line haul driver can’t feel the vibration? Taking a pass on balancing truck tires is a big mistake for fleets, for drivers and, ultimately, for dealers. Following the flow of technology is going to help your fleet customers. That’s the trend. If you save them money, they love
Virtually Trained
Virtually Trained Different tactics may be the key to training in the tire industry. Within the tire industry, most dealers will say there’s a serious need for training. Either training on new equipment or products, or training for continuous improvement. Rare is it that a dealer feels he knows everything there is to know
Alignment & Driveability
Alignment & Driveability You’ve worked hard to make the sale, now you have to make sure that the customer doesn’t come back with a serious complaint. When dealing with issues regarding the driveability of the vehicle, there are several inspections, and possibly a few adjustments, to be made. You better be ready for the inevitable
Fixed and Focused: Johnson Talks About ATD’s Long Road Back to Shareholder Value
Dick Johnson of American Tire Distributors (formerly Heafner Tire Group) took on quite a task when he was named president and CEO of the Huntersville, N.C., company in February 2001. Massive debt, a highly diversified operation, upset customers and concerned ownership plagued the company and threatened its very existence. Quietly, Johnson and his team have
Battling Wheel Slip
Battling Wheel Slip Wheel slippage has long been a point of concern in the tire industry, usually with high output engines and high torque applications – primarily farm equipment and commercial trucks. For the most part, these tire/wheel slip situations caused little more than brief consternation and had minimal impact on tire or vehicle performance.
Industry Report
New Tie-Up Focuses on Run-Flat Technology
Field and Street
Field and Street National accounts. Cradle-to-grave programs. Larger and larger tires. Mounted wheel programs. 24/7/365 service requirements. On-site inspections and service. Reduced equipment downtime. There is no doubt the commercial tire business has changed considerably over the last decade. And there is no reason to believe the demands placed on tire dealers won’t keep evolving
Capital Idea: Pieces of Equipment are a Big Piece of the Puzzle
Capital Idea Pieces of Equipment are a Big Piece of the Puzzle To the layman, the only two things needed to open a tire dealership are tires and customers. Too bad that’s not even the majority of the equation. A lot more goes into being successful. Things like quality service, quality technicians, advertising. And let’s