Focus on the Industry

Nokian Tyres plc is not the largest tire manufacturer in the world by a wide sales margin. However, it arguably is the most profitable.

Tags: Nokian, Nokian Tyres plc, Snow tires, Winter tire

Northwest Tire Factory LLC is truly built from the bottom up in the western United States. The 154 independent dealers who make up the would-be cooperative run the show, and CEO John Kreidel — a non-dealer — wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tags: Brad Olson, Dealer meeting, Tire Factory LLC

"In the long-term, we want to have 12% to 15% market share in North America.” That was the key point Hyun Bum Cho, chief marketing officer of Hankook Tire Co. Ltd., delivered to Hankook Tire America Corp. dealers who gathered in Cancun, Mexico, last month for the company’s annual dealer meeting.

Tags: Dealer meeting, Hankook Tire America Corp.

K&M Tire Inc. strives for “continuous improvement.” It says so in its mission statement: “The K&M Tire team is dedicated to the continuous improvement of planning, product, service and marketing.”

Tags: Big 3 Tire, K&M, Mr. Tire, Trade Show

Michelin North America Inc. (MNA) recently unveiled the latest in its Pilot family of tires, the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, at the NOLA Motorsports Park near New Orleans, La.

Tags: All-season tires, All-Season UHP Tires, Michelin, Michelin North America Inc., Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3, UHP tires

There used to be a time, some 20 years ago, when millions of retreaded passenger tires were sold in the United Kingdom and Europe. Since then, however, this particular market has suffered what can only be described as a catastrophic “fall from grace.” From 1996 to 2006, sales declined alarmingly, sending the market into an almost terminal tailspin.

Tags: European notebook, John Stone, Passenger tire retreads, Retreading, retreads

The changing nature of connecting with the consumer was a major theme during the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC (BATO) 2012 Consumer Dealer Meeting Oct. 17-18. The company brought 450 representatives from 200 tire dealerships to its hometown of Nashville, Tenn., to discuss how Bridgestone is promoting its tire brands to the consumer.

Tags: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, Bridgestone Potenza RE97AS, John Baratta

In the spirit of charity, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is using its “Spirit” blimp fleet to help children in need over the holiday season.

Tags: Blimp, Goodyear, Marine Toys for Tots

The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is on a training roll in 2012. As TIA’s new Automotive Tire Service (ATS) Training Tour winds down, TIA is gearing up for the 2012 Global Tire Expo (GTE). GTE will run from Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2012, in conjunction with the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. The trade show begins Oct. 30 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Tags: SEMA Show, Specialty Equipment Market Association, Trade Show

One year ago, Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. was the top tire manufacturer on Facebook, based on the number of “likes” to The count is now up to 1.7 million! Not surprisingly, Nitto is still number one in the tire industry, and has outshone global automotive companies such as Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Co. in the process.