General Tire is celebrating its centenary this year. The company traces its origins to Akron, Ohio, where William F. O’Neill and his partner Winfred E. Fouse had the idea of producing superior quality tyres and founded the company in 1915. At the time, there were more than 300 companies making tyres in the USA. But unlike their competitors, from the outset the two partners put their faith in high quality, initially focusing on the truck market. Here they pioneered an oversized pneumatic tyre called the General Jumbo. Back in those days, trucks ran on solid rubber tyres and the pneumatic tyre was an innovation that soon caught on. A nationwide team of loyal, competent and independent dealers helped ensure that the brand rapidly proved a success.