Kal Tire buys Klinge & Co. in Australia

Six years after it began operating in Western Australia, Kal Tire has expanded into Eastern Australia where the majority of major mines operate by buying Klinge & Co. No figure has yet been disclosed.

“Even though our reputation is strong and recognized in many countries, it has been a challenge convincing customers of our credibility inside Australia as our experience there has been limited.” says Dan Allan, senior vice president, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “With Klinge, Kal Tire aligns with a well-respected, trusted company known to the Australian mining industry and secures our presence as a national tyre service provider.”

Klinge & Co., co-owned by Tom and Dianne Klinge, is very similar to Kal Tire, which is also a family-owned organization started by Tom Foord in 1953 in Western Canada. Therefore, according to the new owners, the two firms’ cultural alignment is strong, both earning the respect of customers, and both regarding team members as part of the family.

“Kal Tire and the Klinge tyre services business is a strong comfortable fit for Dianne and I,” says Tom Klinge, co-owner, Klinge & Co. “We share many of the same values and objectives, in particular when it comes to looking after customers and team members. And after much heart-felt thinking, we feel it is time to focus on the Klinge software business going forward.”

In future Klinge & Co.will be a software company going focused on tyre management systems, training, and tools. According to Kal Tire, the firm’s ‘TotalTyreControl’, which has become an industry standard for tyre management software. To this end, Klinge will continue to develop its software business in Australia and provide software training in other parts of the world.

Kal Tire began its move east when the firm established itself in the area of Muswellbrook, New South Wales, with the opening of a new mining tyre repair facility.

“We are excited to welcome Klinge’s 200 skilled personnel to the Kal Tire family,” says Robert Foord, president, Kal Tire. “They bring invaluable experience with Australian miners. We’ve known Tom and Dianne Klinge for many years and we share the same commitment when it comes to how we think about our people and about our customers.”