Omnisource is investing on several fronts to continue to build its Radar brand and serve its customers, G.S. Sareen, CEO of Omnisource, tells MTD in this exclusive interview.

MTD: Can you bring us up to speed on Omnisource/Radar’s business so far in the U.S. during 2026 and specifically, how the Radar brand is performing? What have been some of the company's challenges and achievements?

Sareen: 2026 has been good so far, contrary to what some people say. Business has been fairly robust. Last year, we recorded 25% to 30% growth. This year, we are looking at another 40% to 50%. Last year was a change year for us, where we switched gears from selling 100% to wholesalers to working with retailers in our Radar RED (Radar Elite Dealer) associate dealer program. As of now, we have close to 2,000 retailers already signed up for the program. We went from zero sales reps for retailers and now we have eight or nine so far. We expect to keep ramping up that plan and that is what’s really helping us push growth. Wholesalers today are busy managing their costs and their businesses and don't have the time to educate retailers as they have in the past. So we’ve taken on that responsibility – going from retailer to retailer, educating them on the program. We will continue on that track for the next few years.

MTD: What's your take on the state of replacement PLT tire demand in the U.S.? What are you hearing from your dealers and distributors?

Sareen: When it comes to competitors, I’ve never bothered too much. You have to take the approach of the way Apple built their cell phone. They felt, ‘This is what the customer needs.’ They invented a category. We just have to look at the mega-trends: which way the LT market is going, which way the EV (electric vehicle) market is going and what’s happening with high-diameter tires.

Last year, it was all about tariffs. This year, it's all about the (Iran-U.S.) war. As situations change, you have to shift gears and you have to build your own strategy. It's not the big that eats the small. It's the fast that devours the slow. We’re constantly launching new products. The Renegade X has been a big hit in the market. We can't produce enough of it. And now, with the all-terrain (tire) launch in June... we already soft-launched it with dealers and the feedback has been phenomenal. We just launched an all-season UHP tire. So obviously, there is demand for all of our products. People are still driving. People are still buying tires. We're launching new products. We're hiring new people. And our retail program can only launch where we have distribution, so we’re looking for new distribution.

MTD: Last year, when we discussed manufacturing, you mentioned that your company is employing "development-based" agility when it comes to production. Can you elaborate on what that looks like? How is your supply chain being optimized for the U.S. market?

Sareen: We have a back-up plan for a back-up plan. That strategy is working out great in this environment because if Manufacturing Location A has some stress ... we have a back-up plan for that in different locations at different companies. We are perfectly hedged from that point. When the tariffs came, people moved manufacturing from China. We didn't exit China. We left manufacturing in China and doubled down in other countries. We have (manufacturing) spread out all over Asia, Africa and Europe. This is what distributors want to hear. The strategy is working out great.

MTD: What can we expect to see from Omnisource/Radar during the rest of 2026 and into 2027? 

Sareen: Additional SKUs being added to the existing ranges/platforms. New patterns with newer designs and unique features being added to the range, keeping the brand fresh to include a new all-terrain tire with almost 90 SKUs, a new UHP all-season (and) a new all-weather (tire) with true all-weather functionality, besides many other new products that are in various phases of development and testing.

To fuel the growth, we are further strengthening our U.S. team, both in terms of personnel at all levels and infrastructure, with expanded warehousing to be able to serve the market with availability. We are working on increasing the brand's visibility by evaluating more marketing opportunities like the Texas Rangers baseball team we just signed up.

To sum it all up, we are increasing our manufacturing footprint globally so that we stay in-synch with the fast-changing geopolitical landscape and our customers are never short of products. We are upgrading the existing range, adding more SKUs to have better market coverage on patterns that are working well and bringing in new patterns and designs to keep the brand fresh and young. To be able to service the market, we are constantly adding new sales reps and personnel and constantly increasing our domestic warehousing to never have gaps in our supply chain and lastly, increasing brand visibility for the consumer to help wholesalers and retailers.