North America
TBC Corporation (TBC) has named Don Byrd its next president and chief executive officer. He will assume this role with the North American replacement tyre distributor on 1 May 2024, succeeding Sam Kato, who will return to TBC shareholder Sumitomo Corporation.
Maxxis is a GM Supplier of the Year for an eighth consecutive year. GM recognised the tyre maker at an event honouring the company’s top global suppliers for 2023.
TBC Corporation has appointed Bill Schafer as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for TBC Brands and TBC International. Schafer will report directly to TBC Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Sam Kato, and will oversee all TBC Brands and TBC International sales initiatives, including customer service, commercial tyre sales, equipment and non-tyre sales, and operations.
TBC Corporation, one of North America’s largest marketers of automotive replacement tyres through wholesale and franchise operations, has named Shingo Aso its Executive Vice President, Corporate Development. In this role, he will lead the corporate development initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and new business development.
Compilator AB, part of UK-based Kerridge Commercial Systems Limited, is partnering with Mobile IT Apps to deliver TiDaeX integration via the e-jobsheet tyre service app for the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The move comes in anticipation of its planned expansion into Scandinavia and North America. The integrated partnership will be formally introduced at the ITIA conference in Dublin on 29 February 2024.
Across the Atlantic, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) and the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) have formed the Tire Recycling Foundation, which the partners describe as “a collaborative initiative aimed at fostering sustainable and circular market solutions for end-of-life tyres”.
Ireland-based end-of-life-tyre recycling company Life for Tyres Group (L4T Group) is establishing its first processing facility in the USA. Government agency Louisiana Economic Development shares that L4T Group will set up shop at the Port of South Louisiana, investing US$46 million to build a plant on a 10-acre (4-hectare) site.
Not only is Zhongce Rubber Group Co., Ltd (ZC Rubber) setting up a new factory in Indonesia, the Hangzhou, China-headquartered tyre maker has also unveiled plans for a plant in Mexico. The company is looking to establish a manufacturing facility in Saltillo, in the state of Coahuila, with a potential size of up to 600,000 square metres. It will also build a North American warehouse centre adjacent to the factory to improve the local distribution network and optimise cost efficiency.
Yokohama Tire Corporation has promoted Stan Chandgie, who is currently EVP of Sales & Support, to the position of Chief Operating Officer. Chandgie begins in this role on 1 April 2024 and will add marketing, tyre business planning, and supply chain/logistics to his existing remit of overseeing consumer and commercial sales. He will report to Jeff Barna, President and CEO of Yokohama Rubber’s North American manufacturing and sales business.
Hankook Tire America Corp. has announced two changes to its management team. Kyuwang (Ken) Cho is the business’s new Vice President of U.S. PC/LT Sales, with overall responsibility for the market. K.C. Jensen takes on the role of Vice President of PC/LT Sales, focusing on Hankook Tire America’s West region as well as other strategic initiatives.
Yokohama Tire has added Isenhouer Brothers Racing to its line-up for the annual King of the Hammers race. They will join veteran Team Yokohama members, including Wayne and Kristen Matlock, Levi Shirley, Apdaly Lopez, and Jonathan and Jordan Brenthel, competing on Yokohama Geolandar off-road tyres. The Isenhouer Brothers will compete in the Spec TT class, while Shirley heads up the 4400 class. Both will be on purpose-built Geolandar MT-R 40X13.50R18 tyres. “We are pumped to put these new 40-inch Geolandars to the test, not only on the racetrack but also get out there in the rocks and to do some 4×4 adventuring this year,” Isenhouer said.
Bridgestone will exhibit its Bridgestone Fleet Care portfolio of tyre products, services and solutions when it returns to Las Vegas’s Consumer Electronics Show (Booth 4465 in West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center; 9-12 January). The end-to-end customer experience targets sustainability, efficiency, safety and productivity in fleets of all sizes with a range of customisable options. The company will also host its strategic partners Truckers Against Trafficking, Kodiak, and Penske to discuss how the transportation industry can help address today’s societal challenges. The panels will be live-streamed for those unable to attend the show in person.
Sailun Group has confirmed plans to build a joint venture factory in Mexico. In a statement, Sailun Tire Americas describes the decision to establish the plant as a “strategic move” aimed at enhancing Sailun’s production capabilities and streamlining the supply chain to provide customers with “even better service and more efficient delivery of our products.” It further calls this “strategic expansion” a “significant milestone in the company’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, and global growth.”
North American tyre distributor and retailer TBC Corporation has appointed Darryl Maraj its new chief technology officer. In this role, Maraj is responsible for leading the company’s digital and information technology strategy and driving value creation through data-driven innovation and enhancing organisational capabilities. He will report directly to president and chief executive officer, Sam Kato.
TireHub, the Bridgestone- and Goodyear-owned wholesaler that distributes both companies’ passenger and light truck tyres to retailers across the USA, reports achieving a ”major milestone” with the opening of its first Regional Distribution Center. The 360,000 square foot facility is located just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania and services logistics centres in the northeast region. TireHub says customers here will benefit from market-specific products and accelerated delivery times.
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