TireHub: Bridgestone/Goodyear JV sets new volume records

TireHub, the USA-based national tyre distributor jointly by Bridgestone Americas and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, is now three years old. Reporting the company’s experiences over the past 12 months, chief executive officer Peter Gibbons says that even though TireHub began its third year in the middle of a global pandemic, it nevertheless ended 2020 with “significant gains” compared with the industry, which was down overall.

“In the first half of 2021, we concluded our third year very strong, setting new volume records that exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels,” adds Gibbons. “The wins we achieved in the last 365 days set the tone for TireHub’s fourth year. We will continue to transform, better serving our customers and creating positive experiences for all.”

Opportunities for better business

The tyre distributor states it has focused on serving its customers since the beginning, and this focus has resulted in strong volume growth that was “key to the company’s success” in its third year. “Challenges posed by the pandemic provided opportunities for new and better ways of conducting business and serving customers,” elaborates Ted Becker, who joined TireHub as its vice-president of sales in August 2020.

“We’ve adapted our sales approach to better match our customers’ needs, redefined our structure to put our sales leadership and teams closer to our customers, created specialised field roles to provide dedicated support, and insourced our customer service organisation to better connect customers with tyre experts.

“In our fourth year, we will keep fighting hard to continuously improve – building our capabilities to provide service that exceeds customer expectations and helping our customers grow their businesses,” Becker continues.

According to TireHub, this progress includes the setting up of 71 TireHub Logistics Centers (TLCs) so far, with more to come. In three full years of operations, TireHub opened five TLCs in new markets and has relocated nine TLCs in existing territories to meet customer demands and better serve the market. This year, TireHub plans to open or relocate an additional five TLCs.

Further developments include the launch of QuickPay, a new invoicing and payment platform that “makes it convenient” for customers to access and pay invoices online. Additionally, the company invested in its ordering portal, TireHub Now, with several enhancements to meet the needs and requests of dealers. It also invested in demand forecasting and inventory automated processes through its partnership with ToolsGroup. In its fourth year, TireHub will continue to grow its capabilities through new technologies and use them to adapt to the needs of customers.

The foundation of our company

TireHub credits much of its recovery during the recent economic downturn to its workforce – the Hubbers, as the wholesaler calls them. The company states that through the Hubbers’ “dedication to maintaining positive internal relationships and generating collaborative energy,” it not only withstood the pandemic but flourished during a time of uncertainty.

“Hubbers are the foundation of our company. We believe our culture of transparency and support has helped employees stay safe and feel more connected to one other,” says Nikki Roberson, TireHub’s director of culture and communications. “Our third year, set in an unprecedented period, was fraught with tension during a time we were all separated. Supporting each other was critical to our success and the reason we’re in a great position to enter our fourth year.”