Falken Tire Corp. did not begin discontinuing the Ohtsu medium truck tire line two years ago, in contrast to what was previously reported by www.moderntiredealer.com. The error in the original item has since been corrected.
According to Richard Smallwood, Falken´s vice president of sales and marketing, the decision to discontinue the marketing and distribution of the Ohtsu medium truck tire line effective Jan. 1, 2005, was a recent one based on the Falken brand´s dramatic growth over the last few years.
Giving up the distribution rights to Ohtsu will allow Falken "to concentrate 100% of its efforts on the Falken brand."
Itochu International, the exclusive distributor of Ohtsu medium truck tires in the western half of the United States since the 1970´s, will take over distributing the tires throughout the U.S. and Canada. Falken´s parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd., markets Falken brand medium truck tires everywhere else in the world. (Sumitomo officially abosrbed its Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. subsidiary in 2003.)
Falken says it will work closely with Itochu "to ensure the smooth and trouble-free transition" for Ohtsu medium truck tire customers.
Falken discontinued domestic sales for Ohtsu passenger and light truck tires in 2001.
