March 21, 2013
‘Stratego,’ not ‘Whac-A-Mole’
Goodyear stays on course; that includes 2 new tires
Dennis and Noreen Houska of Houska Automotive in Fort Collins, Colo., received the “Put More Good On The Road” award.
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"You’ll hear and see many of the same things you’ve heard from us before,” said Steve McClellan, president of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s North American Tire business segment. “We believe we are more aligned than we’ve ever been.”
Speaking to attendees at the 2013 Goodyear Dealer Conference in Washington, D.C., recently, McClellan, in so many words, said Goodyear likes the path on which it is traveling. Consistency, integration and stability were his buzzwords.
“That stability is driven by a commitment to our strategy,” he said. “A strategy without consistency is really not a strategy at all. It’s a business version of that ‘Whac-A-Mole’ game, where you’re just trying to beat back whatever problem pops up.”
Here are three keys to the strategy.
1. Driving innovation. “When we say we’re ‘more driven,’ innovation is the gas in the tank,” says McClellan.
2. Competing in target market segments. “Targeted market segments are the parts of the industry that we believe offer the best profit potential.” The segments aren’t limited to products, but include categories and channels, too.
3. Building capability. “It’s about getting faster, more efficient, and more integrated, not just where the business is now, but where we are going.” It’s also about improving Goodyear’s supply chain.
New Eagle has landed
The newest member of the Goodyear Eagle family, the Eagle Sport All-Season, is a mid-tier high performance tire. It will be available to Goodyear dealers in June.
By the end of the year, it will be produced in 47 sizes ranging from 195/65R15 91V to 275/40R20 106W. Goodyear will back the new tire with a 50,000-mile limited tread life warranty.
Elsa Valenzuela, office manager for AV Tire Service Inc. in Oxnard, Calif., checks out the depth of a wheel lip at the American Tire Distributors Inc. booth.
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The tire will be marketed against the BFGoodrich Super Sport A/S, Bridgestone Potenza GO19 Grid, Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval A/S and the General G-Max AS-03.
The Eagle Sport All-Season features the following:
• an asymmetric tread pattern, which includes angled tread block edges.
• the ability to maintain a large tread surface area, even at light loads.
• enhanced grip in ice and snow, thanks to an innovative tread compound.
• numerous full-depth tread sipes.
• enhanced wheel protection against accidental curb damage.
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