Bob Ulrich

Editor

Bob Ulrich was named Modern Tire Dealer editor in August 2000. He joined the magazine in 1985 as assistant editor, and has been responsible for gathering statistical information for MTD's "Facts Issue" since 1993. He has won numerous awards for editorial and feature writing, including five gold medals from the International Automotive Media Association. Bob earned a B.A. in English literature from Ohio Northern University and has a law degree from the University of Akron.

» More

Dateline Shanghai, part one: the World Expo

By: Bob Ulrich

Jan and Rick Stewart of Action Tire Co. pose with Bibendum.

"Each day, compel yourself to do something you would rather not do." -- Fortune (really Proverb) cookie, June 5, 2010.

No one was forcing me to visit Shanghai, China, and Double Coin Holdings Ltd.'s tire manufacturing plants in Shanghai and Rugao (although I did spend each of my seven days there doing pushups that I didn't want to do). I had visited both plants two years ago, and wanted to see how the plants had changed. And I was looking forward to interacting with a number of tire dealers from the states.

You can read about the Double Coin experience in Modern Tire Dealer's July issue. Want to see photos? Check out our Facebook page next week (I still have jetlag).

But this blog is about the 2010 World Expo, the present-day incarnation of the old World's Fair. Held in Shanghai, it began on May 1 and ends Oct. 31. Thanks to tickets from Double Coin, we attended the expo for three days and visited five pavillions (there are nearly 200 countries in the world). Here are my thumbnail, generally tire-related thoughts on the five.

1. France. The first one we visited, so there was extra excitement attached to it. Groupe Michelin had a display, complete with video. The dealers liked having their pictures taken with Bibendum.

2. China. The second best of the five and the largest. A beautiful, three-walled video played in the theater showing the country in all its physical glory. There were hallways of historical and cultural displays. There were no references to tires.

3. U.S.A. The least impressive of the five. Three videos, then a series of displays touting some of the larger sponsors (sort of like a trade show), followed by the gift shop. Two industry-related companies, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and 3M, were listed as sponsors.

4. Italy. The best, with plenty of flair. An old vehicle featuring Dunlop Cord tires  (size 8.95x135) made in England; Continental tires on a Volkswagen; and, of course, Pirelli tires on a beautiful red Ferrari. Other Pirelli tires also were on display.

5. Germany. Gray on the outside, but green (as in environmentally themed) on the inside. Technology was showcased. Interactive displays. Little whimsy here, except for the video of the dog barking at you when you walked by.

Hundreds of thousands of people visited each day, not totally surprising in a city of more than 17 million people (Shanghai is the largest city in China).

Since I started with a proverb, I'll leave you with one. The Chinese Pavillion video offered this quote attributed to Confucius: "The gentleman agrees with others without being an echo."

Related Topics: Bibendum, China, Independent tire dealer