What’s Treading with Tire Review

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Continental Tire's biggest lessons from over 120 years of retreading Apr 02, 2024

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They say that 10,000 hours of practice will make you an expert at whatever task you've set your mind to. If that's the case, what does 120 years of practice make you? (That's 1,051,000 hours, for the record).
In 2023, Continental marked its 120th year of retreading truck and bus tires. Today, the tire manufacturer retreads more than one million truck and bus tires worldwide every year – conserving resources and reducing costs all along the way. In fact, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT), retreaded tires reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% compared to new tires. The amount of recycled and renewable materials in retreaded tires can be up to 85%.
While the benefits of retread tires haven't waned, modern retreading facilities are very different from those designed a century ago. For example, today these factories use barcode tracking to monitor tires throughout the retreading process, which has significantly improved efficiency and data collection, allowing for better analysis and decision-making. Plus, today's factories have inspection equipment to ensure the tires leaving the factory are of the highest quality possible.
"[Continental's] inspection process allows us to know what's happened in a casing and make some good predictive models of whether that casing will be retreadable. From a continental point of view, we also have a high-pressure test at the end of our process so that we can ensure that anything that gets through the process is going to be a safe and reliable retread when it gets mounted on and aired up and goes onto the tire," says John Cox, head of retread truck tires Americas. "The overall inspection is going to keep the retread better as well."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Cox discusses the advancements and changes in the tire retreading industry, retread market trends in 2024, and the importance of tire dealers advising their fleet customers on the benefits of retreading.
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Omni United CEO: How tire manufacturers can drive dealer profits in diverse markets Mar 20, 2024

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Succeeding as an independent tire dealer isn't ever a "copy and paste" operation. What works for the dealer down the street isn't necessarily going to work for you, and what works for you may not work for a dealer selling the same tires halfway across the world. Yet, it's the same thread that lead to success for each one.
"They all want to make money," says G.S. Sareen, president and CEO of Omni United, the manufacturer of Radar Tires. "They're all looking for a product on which they can maximize their profit margins – and what are the things that will help them maximize their profits? Is it quality? Is your quality at par with the premiums? Are you punching above your weight in terms of performance? Are your designs better than the rest? Are you a one-stop shop for them? Can you give them the whole spectrum of products?
"It's quality design, range and availability. Surely price competitiveness plays a role, but not as much as people think it does. I think the other aspects play a much wider role because if you don't have those, you can give any price, it's not going to work."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Sareen discusses what it takes to meet the varied needs of tire dealers around the globe, noting that despite each market requiring individualized strategies, quality, design, range and availability must be consistent no matter where they do business. He also emphasizes Omni United's commitment to sustainability and carbon neutrality, and what it means to "do the right thing" as a tire manufacturer.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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How commercial tire dealers have adapted to the needs of the market in 2024 Mar 05, 2024

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Commercial tire dealers had their hands full in 2023, dealing with supply chain disruptions, fluctuating raw material costs and oversupply leading to less-than-stellar sales numbers around the country. The good news is that things are already looking up this year, but it's not simply by accident. Instead, commercial tire dealers are finding opportunities to improve their fleet relationships and are discovering new ways to adapt to the needs of the market.
"Some of the very successful dealers are being more aggressive. They're going out to their fleets and the industry and are providing more services, like fleet checks, air pressures, consulting on new tires," says Brian Sheehey, senior vice president of Ralson Tire North America. "The tire industry is a dynamic industry just as the vehicle industry is. Fleets' eyes have to be open and the dealers have to be partners in that, and the manufacturers have to supply that information to the dealers."
In this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Sheehey discusses strategies for dealers to better manage their inventory, and how manufacturers like Ralson Tires are working closely with their customers and fleets to adapt to new demands, such as the needs of electric vehicles, sustainability efforts and other innovations.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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K&M Tire's president discusses her vision for progressive tire dealers in 2024 Feb 20, 2024

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What does "leveling up" your tire business in 2024 mean? It's an easy question to write off while your bays are filling up, or when your phones are ringing off the hook, or when a shipping delay stops an important order from arriving on time, or when a customer is complaining, or when your shop equipment fails...
The list of trials and tribulations taking place daily in the life of your friendly neighborhood tire dealer goes on and on, and it's hard sometimes to take a step back to examine what incremental changes can be made to take a business to the next level. During this year's annual K&M Tire Conference and Trade Show, Cheryl Gossard, president of K&M Tire, had high hopes that the company's dealer base would walk away inspired to do just that.
"We feel like if everybody just focuses on getting 1% better every day – whether that's in their business, whether that's with working with their employees or in a department or whether that's in their personal lives – we just always want to continue to get better and we want to help," she said.
In this episode of What's Treading, we dig into K&M Tire's 2024 goals, expansion expectations and the details of the company's latest partnerships that have been engineered to help dealers take their businesses to the next level.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Hankook Tire America president unpacks the details of the new Dynapro HPX Feb 06, 2024

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A successful tire launch seems to fall somewhere in the middle of innovation, customer satisfaction and dealer support. By that account, Hankook Tire seems to have followed the tire launch playbook to the letter with the recent debut of its all-season touring tire, the Dynapro HPX, designed for SUVs.
According to Rob Williams, president of Hankook Tire America Corp., the R&D that went into the Dynapro HPX focuses on following the latest SUV trends while leaning into attributes that will meet the needs of a variety of drivers.
"I think we all know that the SUV segment has grown immensely in the last 10 years. When SUVs first came out, it was really looked upon as more of an off-road type vehicle. Today, SUVs have become the family vehicle," Williams says. "Maybe you take it off-road when you go camping, but we found out that consumers have a wide range of needs and that's where we had to look to ensure that we had products to meet all the different needs of those SUV owners. I'm going to say that today the HPX and the AT2 Xtreme are definitely our bestsellers for most of the consumers to drive SUVs."
In this episode of What's Treading, we get the nitty-gritty details surrounding Hankook's Dynapro HPX tire, with Williams highlighting key features and new technology. Williams also discusses the value of the company's tire test track in Korea, dealer support initiatives and the state of the supply chain in regard to dealers in the North American market.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Treads app aims to steer drivers to tire dealers using AI Jan 16, 2024

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In only the past year or so, AI has opened a Pandora's box of opportunities to better care for customers and their vehicles – so much so that today's consumer has unlocked a new level of knowledge surrounding all aspects of maintenance.
Here's an example: A driver thinks it might be time for a new set of tires since their current set is looking a bit on the worn side. He doesn't own a tread depth gauge and wouldn't know what to do with one anyway. However, he does have an app on his smartphone that uses machine learning technology to analyze treadwear and creates an AI-generated recommendation on whether that tire needs to be repaired or replaced. Going a step further, though, the app communicates with the driver's tire dealer to indicate he'll be coming in for a new set of tires.
Zach Olson, founder and CEO of Treads, an AI-powered car maintenance platform, says this is only the beginning.
"I think when looking at it from the industry perspective, there's all sorts of talk of technician shortages, training gaps, and just really fulfilling the demand for the professionals on that side of the industry. But, technology can come in and start filling in quite a few gaps where if you can automate so much of the customer experience, the customer service side, so when a car shows up in the shop, you know exactly what it needs, what's wrong with it, and how to go about with the right solution – and the customers already paid for it," Olson says. "Technology's going to fill that gap where technicians can do what they're best at, and that's getting people back on the road safely."
In this episode of What's Treading, Olson, explains how the Treads direct-to-consumer mobile app subscription service can simplify the car maintenance process. He also details how the company's growth strategy involves partnering with a range of service providers, from small businesses to large national brands.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Why BKT wants to maximize the sustainability of OTR tires Jan 02, 2024

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It's hard to think of many places where electrified and autonomous vehicles are more welcome than underground. Large mining outfits depend on the advantages these attributes offer – mainly zero emissions and keeping drivers out of harm's way, respectively – to maximize profits and uptime.
To keep these and other OTR fleets moving, OTR tire manufacturers like BKT must constantly keep a finger on the market's pulse to ensure they can stay competitive and ensure they can best meet the needs of these customers. In many cases, these needs include aggressive sustainability initiatives, says Chris Rhoades, BKT's vice president of OTR. "Go to any major mining company's or aggregate producer's website and take a look at how everybody's got their own statements on sustainability and what they're trying to accomplish. Of course, tires play a big role in that," Rhoades says.
"As a manufacturer, we take a look at every step along the manufacturing process, from acquiring raw materials to the finished goods, to see what we can do to reduce waste and increase efficiencies. One of the highlights and keystones of BKT is we're the only tire manufacturer that has our own carbon black manufacturing plant. Approximately 30% of a tire's weight is carbon black, and we meet 100% of our requirements out of our own plant on that."
In this episode of What's Treading, Rhoades delves into the rise of electric and autonomous vehicles in the OTR sector, current market trends, and BKT's commitment to sustainability. We also discuss the state of the OTR tire market, customer needs and the complexities of tire supply and application.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Tire Agent Hopes to Reinvent the Online Tire Retail Buying Experience Dec 19, 2023

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Jared Kugel, the CEO of online tire retailer Tire Agent, made waves in the tire industry last August when the business appeared on Inc.'s 5000 list of the fastest-growing startups. Kugel says the accolades are due in large part to the company's customer-first approach, which has secured Tire Agent a loyal customer base and a high repeat purchase rate.
"Over time we've become more than just an online tire retailer. We don't want it to be so transactional; we want it to be relationship-based," Kugel says. "For us, it's far more than just the sale. It's before the sale, after the sale, and then hopefully we're great enough that you want to keep referring us.
"I think the numbers are speaking for themselves where people really appreciate what we're building. We're trying to become really the destination for tires for people."
In the latest episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, Kugel reflects on how his background in the tire industry has inspired Tire Agent's business practices. Kugel discusses how maintaining a competitive edge in the tire industry goes beyond low pricing, finding the secret to success by focusing on value-added services and the overall buying experience. Kugel also shares insights on the company's operational efficiencies, strategic customer service methodologies and overall customer engagement.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Linglong's New North American Subsidiary President Maps Out Growth Strategies Dec 05, 2023

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In August, Linglong Tire established a new subsidiary, Linglong North America Sales, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The company appointed industry veteran Geoff Doster as the president of this newly established entity. Now, with a few months worth of his getting his feet wet in the position, Doster stopped by this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review to reveal his vision for the future of Linglong, as well has how he intends to navigate the company's challenges and aspirations going into 2024.
"Linglong's been doing business in North America for 20 years, and the goal of the North American team is for us to first elevate our brands in the marketplace, as well as our marketing, our branding, our programs, our product lines, and segments to the market to make sure that we're actually hitting the needs of our customers and our end consumers," Doster says. "At the end of the day, I want to be a supplier of choice. I want to be a supplier that exceeds the expectations not only of our customers and our business partners, but also our end consumers."
On this episode of What’s Treading with Tire Review, we speak with Geoff Doster about Linglong's position in the market and his long- and short-term goals for the new subsidiary. We also discuss Doster's predictions about North America's competitive landscape heading into the new year and the advantages of being able to meet the unique needs of customers in different regions.
Tire Review: www.tirereview.com
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Nokian Tyres Delves Into the EV Tire Design Details Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

Rolling resistance, durability and overall comfort all play a huge role in tire design, but these characteristics are under a bright-hot spotlight in the context of electric vehicle tires. That's why Nokian Tyres recently revealed its "Electric Fit" symbol to showcase to customers that these attributes have been given special attention in select tires. The company uses a combination of factors, including tire compound, tread pattern and silencing technologies to optimize EV tire performance.
"Many of these characteristics are ones that we have been developing for the European tire [market] for a long time already, and many of these topics are actually such that they also happen to match with the requirements for EV cars," says Marko Saari, head of product management at Nokian Tyres. "As a result of that, we have gained quite a long experience on getting all these different characteristics taken into account, and we can tap into this expertise when we are developing the tires."
On this episode of What's Treading with Tire Review, we pick Marko's brain about the challenges of designing tires for electric vehicles, learn about how the European automotive market is influencing U.S. EV tires, get an understanding of the technology needed to eliminate noises in the cabin, and even delve into the company's commitment to sustainability.

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