Triangle Tyre Co. Ltd. sells over 25 million tires annually in more than 160 countries and regions. Yet the company is trying to pull itself out of the perception its products are another Chinese tire, says Jenner Powell, global marketing vice president. “We are trying to distinguish ourselves from the mass of Chinese tires so distributors see the value of the brand."
The challenge of branding Triangle is not that difficult as most of the work has been done by individual Triangle dealers in their respective markets, according to Gustavo Lima, CEO of Miami-based Oriente Triangle Latin America Inc., which distributes Triangle tires in Latin America and the Caribbean. He says now is the time to pull those individual brands into a global brand.
“We want to make Triangle synonymous with quality tires,” Lima told Triangle dealers attending the 2015 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. He spoke to them at a meeting on Nov. 3, where company officials also updated dealers on the opening of a U.S. office and other initiatives for the U.S. market.
The office of a joint venture company set up to distribute Triangle tires in the U.S. officially opened the day before, on Nov. 2. Triangle Tire United States of America LLC is located near Nashville, Tenn., and will provide sales, marketing and customer support services for developing Triangle’s distribution network.
Lima is a partner in the joint venture company. He expects at least one logistics and inventory warehouse to support dealers in the United States will be announced in the second quarter of 2016.
The official opening of the U.S. headquarters establishes the Triangle brand a major player within the tire industry, according to Chairman Ding Yuhua. The office is Triangle’s second U.S. facility. Triangle’s A3T LLC research and development center opened in Akron, Ohio, in 2011.
Despite trade challenges related to the U.S. government’s antidumping and countervailing duties, Triangle introduced the Sportex for the UHP segment and the Protract for the value segment in North America in 2015.
“The consumer is always looking for better products to improve their lives and that’s Triangle’s mission as well,” says Ding. “It doesn’t matter where the consumer is. Even though there is challenge, we will continue to deliver the best product to the consumer and let the consumer make their own choice.
"Also, we believe in the power of the brand. We’re building our brand, and we want to deliver that competence to the consumer, so that sets us apart from other products.”
Ding says many of Triangle’s products are not affected by duties. The company also manufactures light truck, OTR, medium truck and specialty trailer tires. Triangle is based in Weihai in China’s Shandong province.
For recent news on Triangle see:
"Triangle Tyre Opens U.S. Operations"
"Triangle Tyre Will Open North American Headquarters in Tennessee"
