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Falken has big plans for reacquired Ohtsu brand

By: Mike Manges

Falken Tire Corp. will take control of the Ohtsu truck tire brand in North America next month. The company displayed several Ohtsu tires at the 2009 Specialty Equipment Market Association Show, held this past November.

Falken Tire Corp. will return to the medium truck tire market next month when it takes over distribution of the Ohtsu truck tire brand in North America. The Fontana, Calif.-based company will assume control of Ohtsu from Itochu International on March 1.

This marks the second time Falken has enjoyed exclusive distribution rights to Ohtsu.
The Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI) subsidiary distributed the brand until early 2005, when SRI transferred control to Itochu, a company with which it is closely affiliated. The switch back to

Falken is happening at the perfect time, despite the depressed state of the medium truck tire market, says Falken President and COO Richard Smallwood.

“I’d rather get in when the market’s in a horrible situation because it lets me look at things in the worst case scenario. In this kind of situation, you can’t be sloppy. You have to have your game down very well.”

Falken will initially offer 14 already-existing Ohtsu tread designs.

“We’re not adding anything new until July, when we’re targeted to launch a SmartWay-approved product.”

The new tire will bear the Falken name instead of Ohtsu — a sign of things to come, according to Smallwood. “We will gravitate toward everything being Falken brand” eventually, he says.

Ohtsu truck tires are only sold in the U.S. “It’s Falken everywhere else in the world. From a global branding standpoint, it doesn’t make sense to have Ohtsu only for the U.S. And it doesn’t make sense from a manufacturing and development standpoint.”

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Related Topics: Falken, Ohtsu, Truck tires

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