Across the Atlantic they are called tires, while over here we use a “Y” and say tyres. This tag provides the latest tyre business news emanating from the United States of America (USA), whichever way you spell it.
Toyo Tire and Rubber and Toyo Tire USA have prevailed in the liability phase of the company’s trade dress infringement and breach of contract suit in Los Angeles Federal Court against Doublestar Dong Feng Tyre and Qingdao Doublestar Tire Industrial.
Marketing rights to the Interstate tyre brand have been acquired by TBC Corporation this month. This transaction follows the entry of Interstate Tire & Rubber into insolvency late last year. The US-based aftermarket tyre distributor has also appointed Theo de Vries, formerly director marketing and sales at Interstate Tires, its new international sales and marketing manager.
Pyrolyx has signed a five-year mezzanine financing agreement for 5 million euros (about $6.1 million) with USAmerican Arena Growth Holdings. The capital will be used to finance global expansion, the development of production in the US, and optimization of Pyrolyx’s existing production capacity.
Yokohama Tire Corporation’s latest off-the-road (OTR) Sales and Reference Guide is now available in print and online. The 82-page guide featyres key off-the-road industry tyre and maintenance guidelines, as well as information on Yokohama’s complete line of OTR tyres.
Retread Instead, a US coalition of retread industry supporters, is requesting industry members extend their letter writing campaign that supports imposing tariffs, antidumping duties and countervailing duties on Chinese truck and bus tyres that are imported into the US.
The wholesale tyre distribution networks owned by Goodyear and Bridgestone in the USA are combining to form an operation the two protagonists claim will be “one of the largest tyre distribution joint ventures in the United States.” This 50-50 joint venture, announced yesterday, echoes the arrangement that Michelin and Sumitomo Corporation entered into at the start of the year.
Nexen Tire USA has launched an education portal, www.NexenACE.com, intended to elevate customer service, marketing and sales.
Giti Tire has become a member of the US Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), and Enki Tan, president and chief executive officer of Giti Tire, has been elected to the organisation’s Board of Directors. The tyre maker’s entry into the association was unanimously approved at the USTMA annual spring meeting earlier this month.
The results of the JD Power 2018 US Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction Study have been released, and the winner is…Michelin. The tyre maker received top customer satisfaction scores in all four segments of the study for the second consecutive year. Michelin’s total tally since the study began in 1989 is 88 awards, more than the number received by any other tyre manufacturer.
Aftermarket wheel designer, marketer and distributor Wheel Pros has a new owner. The US-based company, previously the property of Audax Private Equity, has been sold to Clearlake Capital Group for an undisclosed sum. With its acquisition of Wheel Pros Holdings, LLC, Clearlake Capital Group takes on a company that serves over 10,000 retailers through its network of 33 distribution centres in North America and Australia, supplying them a portfolio of 12 proprietary brands and more than 300 custom wheel styles.
The US Court of International Trade (CIT) has remanded five Chinese OTR tyre importers to the Department of Commerce (DOC). This means an antidumping duty determination against the five firms and has been made and DOC has been ordered to recalculate the antidumping margins it issued against them in a 2016 administrative review.
A court in the US state of Arizona ruled on 3 April that Goodyear Tire & rubber cannot continue to keep court documents relating to an alleged defect in a Goodyear tyre secret. The ruling from the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County, comes in the Haeger v. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company personal injury case and follows a motion from non-profit organisation the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) to unseal court records and remove a protective order.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has announced the planned retirement as a full-time executive of Ginger Jones, senior vice president and chief financial officer. Jones intends to focus on serving on public company boards of directors.
Westlake tyre has struck a sponsorship deal with Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres for the 2018 and 2019 seasons together with its US distributor, Tireco Inc. The sponsorship includes a signage package, on-site activation and hospitality opportunities for dealers and VIPs, aiming to improve the brand image and brand influence in the local market.
Falken drift driver and 2017 Formula Drift champion James Deane returns to the defend his title crown this week at the opening round of Formula Drift (6-7 April 2018, Long Beach, California). The Irish driver will race for the Worthouse Drift Team in his Falken Tire Nissan S15 drift car. He steered the car to four victories during the 2017 season, which led to his championship title and Falken being named Tire Manufacturer Champion for the second consecutive year.
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