Kumho 'Committed to Growth,' says Denlein

"We're committed to pursuing growth" in 2026 and beyond, Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc., recently told MTD. He explains what that looks like in this interview.

Denlein also reveals how Kumho navigated the challenges of 2025, the role that tire dealers and new products will continue to play in the company's success and more.

MTD: How was 2025 for Kumho Tire U.S.A.? What were some of the company's  achievements? What were some of its challenges? 

Denlein: 2025 was a challenging year not just for us, but I think for everyone in the industry. We had internal risks and external changes that affected the overall supply chain. We believe that we overcame these difficulties thanks to the launch of new products ... (and) the introduction of new, what we call 'experiential events.' We had two ride-and-drives this year around our product launches - the Road Venture RT and also the (Ecsta Sport A/S) PA71 and (the Ecsta Sport S) PS72 – and we had a lot of positive reviews of our products and also third-party testing, so that really helped. In particular, we had a steady stream of favorable evaluations and positive word-of-mouth around the new products, which helped us break through some of the difficult circumstances that we had. 

We were also able to improve our sales mix, which centered around new products. As you know, one of the big challenges we had, too ... was that we had that unexpected fire that occurred at one of our plants in (South) Korea and this caused temporary difficulties in maintaining a stable supply pipeline. And import tariffs forced us to raise prices. So with all that said, we believe we were able to navigate those challenges successfully. But I would say this definitely was a challenging year.

MTD: What's your take on the state of PLT tire demand in the U.S. as the year winds down and do you expect to see more or less of the same in 2026? 

Denlein: I expect that total PLT demand in 2026 to show slight growth or you could say (it will) remain at a similar level compared to 2025. My concern is that consumers’ disposable income continues to decrease. And I also believe that price sensitivity will likely increase accordingly - next year, through the whole year. I believe at times like this, we must continue, as a company, to be prepared and strive to ensure that we express the value of our products and services, so we can exceed market expectations.

MTD: Kumho is reporting four consecutive years of double-digit growth. What kind of growth? Are you talking about volume? Units? Market share? Dollars?

Denlein: Double-digit growth in both sales volume and revenue and, as well, we’ve gained market share each year. As you know, that's not easy to do. It was really driven by multiple initiatives across our company. We’ve provided tailored support for each dealer.

We mentioned those new products and they’ve really exceeded market expectations. The other thing, too, is that we’ve enhanced our logistics services. And we just continue to grow with our business partners year after year. It’s really allowed us to continue our strong growth momentum.

We’ve been able  to diversify our customer base. Kumho has a good balance between retail and wholesale and also mass merchants. So we've spread that out, which I think enables us to withstand some of the softness in the marketplace. We really do listen to the customer and we try to meet each customer's needs. We’re more nimble, I think, than some of our competitors.

MTD: Kumho says it "has a clear and definite goal and roadmap to become a top second-tier company." How will you get there?

Denlein: We’re focused on increasing the market success of Kumho Tire by launching all-new products that really exceed market expectations and along with this, carrying on initiatives that elevate the added value through improvement and innovations in the services we provide.

When we look at this, I think there are several things that we focus on that are really important for a tire manufacturer. One is quality products ... (and) continued growth in OE. I also think since our industry has evolved, you have to have really strong logistics, which we’ve worked on. We’ve added warehousing. We’ve also added more staff internally here at corporate headquarters. I think this is really important. I believe we have to be profitable and I strongly believe we have to deliver a brand that's profitable for our customers. And we have to have a strong marketing strategy.

MTD: How have your new products been received by your dealers and distributors and end users?

Denlein: (Customer reaction to) the (Road Venture) RT was remarkably astonishing. In particular, as the compliments and the word spread about the product's performance and the design of the product, we witnessed sales increasing immediately and actually naturally - really without the need to do a lot of promotional activities. The other event, (where) we launched the PA71, which is a performance all-season (tire), and the PS72, which is a summer tire ... that went really well, too. We had great success with that, really driven around the testing we did and also the consumer feedback. 

In 2026, we plan to launch two new products, the Road Venture HT and Crugen GT Pro. Top-tier performance is the goal – quality at a reasonable price. When you look at it, we’re confident that the value these new products deliver will be the among the best in the industry.

MTD: Looking at manufacturing, have tariffs impacted Kumho's sourcing strategy for products sold in North America and if so, in what ways? Any investments planned for Kumho's plant in Macon, Ga., in the coming year?

Denlein: The impact of the tariffs on imported products was not that significant (as) to affect our supply pipeline. But we do plan to increase the production and supply of replacement products at the Georgia plant. With that said, however, currently we have no plans to expand the Georgia plant's production capacity in the short-term. That’s more long-term. With the newly announced investment of our new European plant - and then along with investments at our Korean plant - that should dramatically enhance productivity, specifically around high value-added products. (Editor's note: Kumho Tire recently announced that it will build a new plant in Poland, which will be the company's first factory in Europe. Some tires made there will be shipped to the United States.)

As a company, our intention is to place even greater emphasis on selling higher-margin products. So moving forward, in terms of being able to produce tires and production, with these particular investments, we don’t see really any issues on that side for us.

MTD: Can you comment on Kumho’s OE strategy in the U.S.?

Denlein: We try to keep a balance of replacement versus OE (and) we really do a good job of that. We don’t want to get ourselves too locked into, from a production standpoint, OE. We really see OE in a couple of ways. I think it’s a pull-through for the customer and it also creates awareness (among) the consumer. And moving forward, our strategy is to really hone in on higher-inch products ... and basically you could also say, higher trim levels on vehicles And we've spread it out, too. Hyundai/Kia has been very important to us as a strategic partners. But we’re doing Volkswagen. We're also doing Toyota.

So we’ve really branched out as we’ve developed OE. And the plant here im Macon ... it’s pretty much OE-driven, so that's an advantage, too. I think a lot of these OE (vehicle) manufacturers recognize the fact that there could be some limitations when (there) are catastrophic events. So anytime you can have a plant here servicing the market, it gives us an advantage. 

MTD: What can we expect to see from Kumho in 2026?

Denlein: I think that 2026 is definitely going to be another challenging year due to market variabilities. I'm of the mindset that these paradigm shifts can present opportunities for us. We’re committed to pursuing growth as we have and (are) preparing to do that. We’re launching two new products. We continue to be active in marketing. Motorsports, adding truck events and continuing with our sports sponsorships are things we’ll be focused on in 2026.

I think that we have a very good relationship with our dealers and that has really helped us. We listen. We’re attentive to their needs. We’re very nimble to the market. And I think that’s been a part of our success. We’ve really earned the trust of our dealers and also, as a company, we’ve really invested in resources internally, in terms of people. We continue to add people. I would also say that morale is really good in the company, which is really important. And I think all of that – when you put that all together – we should have continued success in 2026.