Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/114173
News/views bites Two vice presidents at Vogue Vogue Tyre and Rubber Co. has reorganized its sales team by naming two vice presidents of sales. The company went outside the company to bring in Dale Noe. He will be paired with Vogue's Adam Slominsky, who was promoted from custom center manager. Cooper enters U.S. OE market The Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. reports that its Zeon RS3-A tire is OE on the 2013 Ford Focus SE and Titanium models. The Cooper Zeon RS3-A is the latest ultra-high performance all-season tire in the Cooper Tire performance lineup. Tyrexpo Asia breaks records Tyrexpo Asia 2013, held this month at the Singapore Expo Centre, brought together more tire manufacturers, distributors, brokers and agents from around the world than any previous Tyrexpo Asia, show organizers say. Exhibitors from 126 countries attended. Bridgestone OE on Caddy ATS The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT (run-flat) from Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations is OE on the 2013 Cadillac ATS, the first-ever Bridgestone run-flat OE fitment on a GM vehicle. Bridgestone supplies GM with run-flat tires in size 225/40RF18 88W (front) and 255/35RF18 90W (rear) for fitment on the ATS Premium Collection. Apollo honored at Tech Expo Apollo Tyres Ltd. won the Tire Manufacturer of the Year award at the Tire Technology Expo in Cologne, Germany. The company's growth and new R&D; center in the Netherlands were cited as reasons for its selection. TIA hires marketing director The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has hired Donna Sage as director of marketing and communications. Sage has 20-plus years of marketing experience. She will promote TIA's programs and events, handle PR, manage TIA's online presence and develop marketing materials. Hankook opens warehouse Hankook Tire UK Ltd. has opened a new 150,000-square-foot warehouse in Daventry, England. Continued increase in market share in Britain led to the need for an additional stock-holding facility. 14 BKT sets the sales bar high From $712 million to $2 billion in 7 years Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) had another big year in 2012, fnishing with $712 million in sales, a 30% increase over the previous year. The company says its share of the off-highway tire sector, made up of agricultural, earthmover, industrial, ATV and lawn and garden tires, is 5%. In North America, BKT (USA) Inc. achieved a record $150 million in sales, as predicted. Its overall farm tire replacement market share in the United States increased from 19.5% to 22.7%, broken out as follows: Segment Radial rear Bias rear Small farm 2011 19.5% 31.0% 15.5% 2012 20.0% 40.5% 16.5% BKT (USA) also made a dent in the original equipment market, specifcally in the radial rear and small farm tire segments. According to Rami Bitran, general manager of the U.S. subsidiary, market demand has been slow the frst two months of 2013. "We're selling our share, but this year is probably going to be fat, about the same for us as last year." It won't be for lack of product. BKT's new energy-effcient plant in Bhuj, India, is up and running. That gives the company four ISO 9001:2000-certifed tire plants; by 2015, the facilities will be able to produce 300,000 tons annually. At the recent Paris International AgriBusiness Show, known as SIMA, BKT showcased its tire-manufacturing capabilities. It introduced a number of new tires, including the Agrimax Spargo radial sprayer/ row-crop tire, and its expanded AgrimaxForce BKT's goal is to achieve global sales of $1.36 billion and market share of 10% in 2014. The comradial tire line. pany's long-term objective is to reach $2 billion in Using IF technology, the sales by 2020. AgrimaxForce high-power tractor line operates at a lower infation pressure compared to a standard tire with equal loads. The result is less compaction. BKT is part of the Siyaram-Poddar Group, a diversifed Indian industrial conglomerate with sales in excess of $800 million. — Bob Ulrich Hankook dealers welcome president Hankook Tire America Corp.'s recent dealer meeting (see page 64) was a coming out party for its new president, Byeong Jin Lee. He told Modern Tire Dealer this is his frst time working in the U.S., although earlier in his career, he was in charge of global OE sales. Most recently, Lee was COO of Hankook's China headquarters. He feels the company's strength is "to provide a great value brand with good quality." MTD March 2013