Bridgestone Americas Inc.'s OTR tire plant in Bloomington, Ill., is celebrating 55 years of operation.

BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors hosted about 150 customers for in-person training, equipment demonstrations and a trade show this month. In a year where most dealer events were canceled due to COVID-19, the BTS team wanted to find a safe way to offer the help it traditionally offers customers.

Balkrishna Industries Ltd. is expanding its already-robust efforts to provide COVID-19 relief with the recent establishment of a contactless coronavirus treatment center at its plant in Bhuj, India.

Vipal Rubber continues to invest in manufacturing with the addition of a new, $20 million plant in Perez, Argentina.

More good things are around the corner for ag tire manufacturers and dealers, Paul Hawkins, senior vice president of aftermarket sales for Titan International Inc., recently told MTD. In this exclusive interview, Hawkins discusses the state of ag tire demand in North America, new products that Titan will roll out during 2021 and more.

Driven by e-commerce and the proliferation of distribution hubs, there are more last-mile delivery vans on the road than ever before, creating additional tire and service opportunities for enterprising tire dealers. Here's how two leading tire dealerships are pursuing this rapidly growing segment, as they share what's working for them.

Fuel efficiency and a quiet, comfortable ride might not be the first things that come to mind when thinking about light truck tires. But the tiremakers designing original equipment LT tires indicate those are key considerations at work in the next generation of products.

National Tire Wholesale (NTW) customers will have exclusive access to a new brand of medium truck tires in North America. TBC Brands LLC says the Prinx lineup features seven application types.

ZC Rubber America Inc. is opening a new distribution center in December 2020 so serve the eastern U.S. The warehouse, located in Statesville, N.C., will serve as the distribution hub for Arisun truck tire customers and dealers in the region.

Eight months ago, Barnwell House of Tires found itself at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, supplying tires and related services that enabled waste haul, utility and other essential fleets to operate, while enacting measures to protect the well-being of its customers and employees. “The Big Apple” is no longer the nexus of the pandemic and Barnwell has emerged as a stronger, more nimble company. Scott Weeden, the dealership’s vice president of sales, calls it “the corona shift.”

Camso Inc. has opened a new manufacturing facility in Junction City, Kan., where it will build agricultural tracks.

Nikolai Setzer will take over as executive board chairman of Continental AG on Dec. 1. He replaces Elmar Degenhart, who is stepping down at the end of November due to health reasons.

Double Coin’s ultra-premium, fuel-efficient RLB452 is a durable regional/long haul drive-position tire that offers an open shoulder directional tread design, which delivers excellent traction in all weather and road conditions.

Maxam Tire North America Inc. plans to ramp up its investment in the ultra-large OTR tire segment following the recent introduction of its first-ever 63-inch tire, the MS453.

Titan International Inc. has added a new size, 875/65R29, to its Titan STL3 line. The size "is in high demand for loaders and scrapers used in construction, mining and quarry applications," say Titan officials.

Keter Tire USA has added two new drive tires to its Neoterra radial commercial truck tire line: the CD301 closed shoulder and the OD311 open shoulder.

Customers of Hunter Engineering Co. can use the online HunterNet 2 to instantly measure the return on investment of their newest connected pieces of equipment. But the platform is designed for Hunter customers with older equipment too. They can purchase consumables easily online and also keep track of the details of every piece of Hunter equipment in their businesses.

Planning for the new year might seem especially daunting given the rollercoaster of 2020, but Mike Brown says this isn’t the time to wing it. “You don’t want to throw out strategy when things are uncertain.”

Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has announced that President and CEO Roy Bromfield will retire in 2021 upon selection of, and successful transition to, a successor.

Hunter Engineering Co. has unveiled a number of new equipment solutions, including its Quick Check Drive and Quick Check Edge heavy-duty inspection system, which can "cycle trucks through continuously, eliminating the need for stopping or labor," according to Hunter officials.

The wholesale division of Black’s Tire Service Inc. regularly plans events for its customers, bringing in vendors, trainers and speakers to talk about how they can improve their businesses. In 2020, that’s proven to be more important than ever. And so with safety precautions in place, the show will go on.