Tire shipments are projected to increase by approximately 7 million units in 2010 compared to 2009, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). The 3% increase is in contrast to the 8% drop from 2008 to 2009.

Tags: Original equipment, RMA, tire shipments

Wayne Croswell, president of the Tire Industry Association, was the keynote speaker at the 20th annual Mid-America Tire Dealers Association (MATDA) Convention and Trade Show, held recently in Catoosa, Okla.

Tags: Chinese imports, green, Greenhouse gas emissions, NHTSA, SEMA Show, Tariffs, Training, Wayne Croswell

Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. says it will increase its marketing efforts on major social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube "to reach current and future Kumho enthusiasts."

Tags: Facebook, Rick Brennan, Social networking

The International Rubber Consortium (IRC) has asked Vietnam to join existing members Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia -- the three largest natural rubber exporters in the world.

Tags: Natural rubber, Raw material costs, Saul Ludwig, Thailand, Vietnam

Exhibitors from across the aftermarket continue to sign up for October’s Brityrex International exhibition, with both familiar names and new brands "seeking to capitalize on sales opportunities from a post-recession tire and equipment marketplace," the organizers state.

Tags: Brityrex International, Convention

More tire dealership software products and services mean more options for tire dealers. What’s the most important function provided by tire shop software? We recently posed that question to several dealers.

Tags: Computer software

There are many tools at the independent tire dealer’s disposal that can be used to secure repeat business. Some dealers put customers on strict preventive maintenance plans. Some promote tire rotations, oil changes, brake checks and other interval-based services. Others bring customers back with specials and coupons.

Tags: Credit, Credit CARD Act, GE Money

Without question, 2009 was one of the most difficult years independent tire dealers have faced in a long time. For many, survival was the name of the game.

Success has many fathers, as the saying goes. One sire to my company’s exponential growth (the Tires Plus stores) was our obsession with improving the way we did things. We were fanatical about identifying roadblocks, unearthing errors, and fine-tuning our system. Part of our campaign included benchmarking the highfliers; and one way we did that was an occasional intel-gathering field trip.

The drama brought about by the recession has yet to be played out, according to tire industry analyst Saul Ludwig.

Tags: Analyst, Saul Ludwig