Michelin North America sent its Michelin Disaster Response Unit trailer to a Tire Centers L.L.C. (TCI) warehouse in Dallas last week after heavy snow caused part of the roof to collapse. TCI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MNA, said the 16,000-square foot Dallas warehouse is roughly 30 years old. A section of the roof caved in 12 February after record snowfall in the Dallas area. In addition to the roof, about 7,000 tyres were damaged.
Watts Tyre Group, the UK-based industrial tyre and wheel producer has announced the creation of Watts America Latina, a new business unit to service the Latin American market (excluding Brazil and Mexico where the group has existing business operations). Watts America Latina is headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay and is headed by director General Carlos Correia. The business services container customers across the region as well as sales from a warehouse operation from which pallet orders can be satisfied enhancing product availability.
Parts distribution company FPS has opened a new warehouse branch at the Blochairn Industrial Estate in Glasgow to serve Scotland. The new FPS facility officially opened its doors on the 28 September, although the full stocking process took another month to complete. This included the addition of Klarius type-approved exhaust and CAT systems, including over 2,500 exhaust references and 600 CAT references. The additional warehousing has allowed FPS to add these popular, but typically bulky products to the same-day delivery service offered throughout the UK.
Tire Group International (TGI) has opened a new sales office in Houston, Texas headed by Tom Wilbur. Wilbur comes to TGI with over 12 years experience in the tyre industry, having worked for firms such as Area Wholesale Tire and Tire Dealers Warehouse.
(Tire Review) Pep Boys has agreed to acquire Orlando-based Florida Tire for $4.4 million, the latest in a series of deals that has seen 90 independent tyre dealer locations change hands over the last 60 days. Florida Tire has ten locations in the Orlando are, and posts annual sales of $14 million. The acquisition is expected to close 30 October. Since the beginning of September, four other independent dealers have sold some or all of their businesses. Erlanger, Kentucky-based Bob Sumerel Tire sold its 30-store retail tyre business to an Ohio arm of AAA. Terms of the deal were not released, but the deal did not include Sumerel Tire’s commercial tire division, which includes 12 commercial tyre centres and four mixed commercial/retail locations. Greensboro, North Carolina-based Snider Tire Inc. acquired Greenville, South Carolina-based Consolidated Tires Inc., with six commercial centres in South Carolina and Georgia, and one retread plant in South Carolina.
Less than 12 months ago NDI UK was operating as a regional wholesaler around its base in the West Midlands, but now its Danish headquarters – one of Scandinavia’s largest tyre and wheel distribution groups, Nordisk Daek Import A-S – has its eyes on a larger goal. Managing Director, Ian Smith states, “we are now concentrating on working even closer with our headquarter base in Denmark in order to encompass all market sectors ranging from small implement tyres up to larger earthmover designs offering a nationwide service throughout the UK.”
Following Continental Tyre Group’s decision to start marketing to start marketing Simex Tyres back in June, news sources are now reporting that the company has opened a warehouse in the Czech Republic to stock the Malaysian-built tyres closer to the UK and Irish markets the materials handling and earthmoving tyres are destined for. According to the Contract Journal, will be positioned above “the cheapest on the market” and will be marketed through existing distributors such as ATS Euromaster and OTR.
Two 11-year old girls were arrested on suspicion of starting a fire which destroyed a warehouse storing shredded tyres ready to be recycled. The warehouse, owned by Joliet, Illinois-based tyre recycler Tire Grinder Transporters, was ablaze for five hours before firefighters brought it under control.
Heintschel Tire & Service Inc. is converting its commercial truck tyre retreading operation to Goodyear’s pre-cure and patented UniCircle retreading processes at its retreading plant. “We feel Goodyear offers customers products that help provide fleets and truck operators the cradle-to-grave tire solutions they want,” said Garry Heintschel, vice president and co-owner of Heintschel Tire. “That’s why we decided to make the move to Goodyear. We feel Goodyear is moving in the same direction that we need to go and at the speed in which we need to respond to our customers.
Pat Demianenko, national sales manager for Goodyear Retread Systems, said Goodyear is pleased to have Heintschel Tire as an authorized Goodyear retreader. “Heintschel Tire has a strong reputation among its customers and its peers as a leading tire retreader that’s committed to producing quality products and supporting them with great service,” Demianenko said.
Leading two-wheel tyre wholesaler, Bike Tyrestore, has announced that it is to increase its prices for “key sizes” by Bridgestone, Dunlop and Michelin. For specific prices, the company recommends that customers visit the “YOUR Online Warehouse” of www.worldofbiketyres.com.
British and International Tyre Supplies (BITS), part of the County Tyres Group, recently bought a new static axle weighbridge from Axle Weight Technology Ltd (Axtec) in order to help it stay within strict axle load weight rules. According to the company, the increased weight of tyres has been making it more difficult to judge if the company’s delivery vehicles are within legal limits when they set off on their daily delivery runs. BITS wanted to achieve the maximum payload of around 1.2 tonnes on its 3.5 tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinters, while also staying on the right side of the law.
Taking 10 kgs as an average weight per tyre meant that 120 tyres can usually be safely loaded onto the Sprinters. But this way of doing things is a bit haphazard as the product mix can change the weight significantly, especially if heavier 4 x 4 or ‘run flat’ tyres are being carried, leading to the risk of an axle or gross weight overloading.
Paul ‘Scooter’ Brothers of Comp Performance Group will serve as chairman-elect of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) beginning 1 August. Members voted Brothers to fill the position that was held for the past two years by Rick Rollins of Rollins Performance Marketing/Consulting. Rollins takes over as SEMA chairman on 1 August.
“Rick and Scooter are both industry veterans who have proven track records for knowing and understanding what’s important and relevant to the industry,” said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. “We are fortunate to have such dedicated and knowledgeable volunteers leading the association during these challenging times.”
Dan Gresham of Coutant Capital will serve as the new secretary/treasurer for the board, while Russ Deane of Trainum, Snowdon & Deane continues as general counsel. (Tire Review/Akron)
Snap-on Equipment has appointed Viking International as the new distributor of John Bean garage equipment for the tyre trade in Scotland. The garage equipment manufacturer stated that Viking International’s position as a leading tyre distributor and its customer-focussed approach make it “the ideal match” for John Bean’s stated aim to provide the tyre industry with reliable and user-friendly equipment.
Customers visiting Viking International’s Glasgow warehouse can try before they buy at a dedicated John Bean demonstration area equipped with a b9455 wheel balancer and a T5000 tyre changer. The b9455 wheel balancer features a number of panted innovations, including virtual imaging, an adhesive wheel weight clamp and a split weight mode enabling stick-on weights to be hidden behind adjacent spokes on alloy rims. The T5000 tyre changer incorporates a double-acting bead breaker cylinder, a self-centring four-jaw chuck for fast and accurate clamping and pedal-controlled tyre inflation via air ports in the clamping jaws.
Alliance Tire has hired four regional sales managers to represent its lines of agricultural, forestry and OTR tyres. Added to Alliance’s sales efforts were Pat Gaston of Omaha (Midwest/Great Plains); Blaine Cox of Kimberly, Alabama (Southeast); Tom Hirsch of Great Neck, New York (Northeast) ; and Andy McAllister of Waycross, Georgia, who is forestry tyre sales manager.
Alliance President Manny Cicero said that building the sales team is part of the company’s commitment to building its North American presence, as well as its worldwide share. In addition to the new staff, he said, that strategy includes a new warehouse in Tennessee and a new factory coming online in the next couple of months. (Tire Review/Akron)
After years of offering its products through distributors, Italian tyre equipment maker Corghi has opened Corghi U.S.A., with offices in Hamilton, Ohio. Corghi said that, “historically, the North American market has always been one of Corghi’s most important business areas,” and that over the past 20 years the brand “has developed its presence and has become a point of reference for the tire changer industry. “Recognising the strategic importance of the American market, Corghi has decided to enter it directly in order to offer to its customers the complete wheel service equipment product range, and to ensure the highest level of service to tire professionals,” the company said.
The new 12,000-square-foot headquarters includes offices, training rooms and a warehouse. The copany also lauched a new Web site – www.corghiusa.us – and a help desk for service with free phone number will be activated as of May 16.
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