Sumitomo Produces First North American-Made Falken Tire
Sumitomo Rubber USA (SRUSA) has cured its first Falken brand tire in North America at its plant in Buffalo, N.Y. “It’s great to see the first Falken-branded tire come out of SRUSA,” said Kenji Onga, SRUSA CEO and chairman, and Sumitomo Rubber North America chairman. “Due to our domestic manufacturing, the tires that come out
Building the Brand
Forgive the folks at Falken Tire Corp. as they seem a bit giddy these days. They’ve hit a streak of good news, and are already taking advantage of the good fortune to launch a more aggressive brand-building effort and an expansive collection of new consumer and commercial products. This past summer, the dissolution of the
SRI Realigns North American Business, Falken Gets New Name
As a result of the dissolution of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ alliance, SRI’s North American business units will be realigned. As part of this realignment, Falken Tire Corp. will be changing its name to Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA), Inc. effective Jan. 1, 2016. Richard Smallwood, current CEO and president
Falken Advertising Earns Davey, W3 Awards
Falken Tire Corp.’s in-house creative team earned four Silver Davey Awards and another two Silver W3 awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA). The Davey Awards honors creative work from the best small agencies, firms and companies worldwide, according to Falken. The tiremaker earned silver Daveys for its “Ultimate Dark Night” RC
Four New Falken Tires Slated for Early 2016
At its recent dealer meeting in Kansas City, Mo., Falken Tire Corp. announced plans to add four new consumer tires to its lineup in February 2016: the WildPeak A/T3W, WildPeak M/T, Sincera SN250 A/S and Azenis FK450 A/S. The WildPeak A/T3W will be available in 54 sizes ranging from 15- to 20-in. wheel diameters and
Falken Sets Structure, Staffing for Truck Tire Unit
With its expanded focus on the medium truck tire market, Falken Tire Corp. has expanded its truck tire sales team. Falken has formed a dedicated Commercial Division, which will be led by Bob Klimm as division manager. Most recently, Klimm was Canada and northeast U.S. division manager. He will report to Andrew Hoit, Falken vice
Falken Signs First Non-Motorsports Sponsorship
Falken Tire Corp. signed its first sports sponsorship outside the realm of motorsports: a deal with the Detroit Tigers. The sponsorship will include Falken brand signage for the entire season on each side of the Comerica Park centerfield scoreboard. “Connecting with Detroit’s passionate baseball fans is one of many ways that we plan on increasing
Falken Expands Management Team
Falken Tire Corp. has made several changes to its senior management team. Fumikazu Yamashita was promoted to vice president of technical services. Yamashita has been with Falken’s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), for more than 30 years. In his new position he will be responsible for technical services and quality assurance testing, product development
Falken Takes Home Three Davey Awards
The International Academy of Visual Arts recognized Falken Tire Corp. with three Davey Awards for print advertising. “We are very pleased to receive this recognition from an esteemed board of Creatives from around the country acknowledging the work that our Falken marketing team is doing on behalf of our dealer partners and consumers,” noted Rick
#SEMA/GTE: Falken Makes Big Changes
Falken Tire Corp. has done away with the faux off-road terrain and collection of speed in its SEMA Show/Global Tire Expo booth, favoring a new approach that emphasizes the tiremaker’s desire to be seen as a full-line supplier. On display is a full sampling of Falken’s new retail approach, complete with an array of POS
#SEMA/GTE: Falken Unveils New Consumer Marketing Strategy
Falken Tire has launched a new marketing strategy that it says will introduce the brand’s race-proven benefits to a much a broader market segment of value-minded car, light truck and CUV owners. Executives are sharing details with dealers and media at the company’s SEMA Show/Global Tire Expo booth (#41013). The first step in Falken’s new
Falken Taps Brandware Public Relations as Agency of Record
Falken Tire Corp. has selected Brandware Public Relations as its public relations agency of record. For 2015, Falken said it will build on its racing success with a consumer retail merchandising strategy designed to introduce more tire shoppers to Falken’s competition-proven durability and all-weather reliability. “The Falken brand is a success story that more consumers