Bandag Sales Outlet Opens in Lithuania

Based at Vilnius, in Lithuania, Bandag Dealer Guminta UAB held an open house on 31st March to inaugurate its new sales outlet in the port city of Klaipeda, some 300 km to the west of the capital. The new premises enables the company to gain better penetration into the western regions of Lithuania, bringing tyre products and services much closer to a large proportion of the fleet customer base, while reducing delivery costs at the same time.

The main event at the open house event was the signing of Guminta’s franchise agreement with Bandag for the next five years. Guests of honour at the signing were Mike Tirona, Vice President and General Manager, Bandag EMEA and the main shareholder of Guminta, Mr Valdemaras Zakarauskas.

Founded back in 1252, Klaipeda is the third largest city in Lithuania. Ravaged in World War II, when the Germans used it as a submarine base, the city is currently enjoying a major business revitalisation. As a key port city in the European Union, Klaipeda is the gateway to the world of international trade for Lithuania.

“As our headquarters are in Vilnius, on the other side of the country, the sea port of Klaipeda was probably the best place for Guminta to increase its market share in the western part of Lithuania,” said General Manager, Mindaugas Grigalavicius. “Many fleets operate in the area and they have come to appreciate Bandag products and services ever since Guminta became a Bandag Dealership ten years ago.”

“Our fully equipped Bandag retreading shop remains in Vilnius,” explained Technical Manager Juozas Kazlauskas. “But we have been able to streamline the distribution of our tyre products and services significantly since we opened the outlet in Klaipeda.”

This is good news for the many fleets that have relied on Guminta’s services for years. Large fleets such as Girteka, Hoptransa, Irsana, Transuotila and TVG make extensive use of Guminta’s ability to retread tyre casings a number of times, with a twelve-month guarantee at the start of each tyre life.

All of the Bandag retreads produced by Guminta comply with ECE 109 requirements. The German Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt inspection body in Germany also monitors the production process, making Guminta the only Lithuanian company to hold this demanding certification.