Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) focused on the future of agriculture in the first in a series of expert presentations covering global trends in the marketplace.
The new resource supplies dealers with the tools necessary to begin utilizing a consumer-focused social media strategy and build a successful following.
Innova Electronics Corp. has produced its first diagnostic tablet, the Innova 7111 Smart Diagnostic System (SDS), to provide technicians with an efficient, all-in-one tool to help them fix problems on today's vehicles more easily.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. has begun testing a tire pressure management solutions (TPMS) service that provides remote monitoring of tire pressure and tire temperature. The tiremaker is working with partners in Japan to monitor the consumer tires on vehicles leased and rented to the public.
Only the smartest tires can meet the new demands for durability, data collection and lower rolling resistance. James Popio of Smithers Rapra, a provider of testing and consulting services to the rubber and plastics industry, looks at the forces shaping tomorrow's tires.
Tire dealers are feeling the heat. The big guys are growing bigger. Finding and keeping reliable technicians is getting more expensive. And technology is requiring more expensive shop upgrades. Doom and gloom? Dennis McCarron says no. "It’s not doom and gloom because this is awesome."
The future of the automotive aftermarket is definitely unpredictable, but there are ways that independent tire dealers can start preparing today for the evolution that is coming tomorrow.
Before cars had electronic controls, most of what went wrong with them was something a technician could see, hear, smell, feel or sometimes even taste (ever sipped coffee next to a car with a coolant leak?).
