There was a lot going on at the recent Myers Tire Supply (MTS) sales meeting and vendor fair, held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Close to 50 suppliers were on hand to showcase their wares to the MTS salespeople.
And there were a lot of them there -- nearly 200, including 20 district managers.
The purpose of the event was to make sure the salesmen were up to date on what MTS offers to tire dealers, automobile dealerships, retreaders and commercial fleets. That included the MTS private brand line of tools and equipment, which Myers says is being promoted more than ever before.
On the suppliers side, featured products included new Coats tire changers (including the ProGuard Plus) and wheel balancers; Hofmann and Perfect wheel weights; and Bartec tire pressure monitoring system tools. There were retreading tools from B&J Manufacturing and tire repairs from Patch Rubber Co. (a division of Myers Industries Inc.).
There also was the introduction of the MTS vending machine geared to the automotive aftermarket. Manufactured by Apex Supply Chain Technologies LLC, the inventory management system tracks high-cost, high-use and "mission critical" items in the shop, according to Brian Henderson, vice president of North American sales for Apex.
As part of its presentation, International Marketing Inc. shared its rebranding of not only the company, but also its Equal truck tire balancing formula.
Last year was a good one for MTS, which introduced the most SKUs in the company's history: some 300 to 400, says Marketing Manager Larry Edgell. The company also added 20,000 non-inventory items to its catalog.
Two years ago, MTS completed the consolidation of its 36 distribution centers into four. MTS Vice President and General Manager Todd Smith, who helped orchestrate the strategy, says the move allowed the company to increase its SKUs, centralize purchasing and track demand history, all "to better service the customer."
Future plans call for automating the D/Cs. "We are looking at implementing a warehouse management system," he adds.
