Magazine for the professional tire industry
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MTD January 2016 News/views Passenger tire shipments drop slightly in 2015, says the RMA There's good news and bad news when it comes to the latest 2015 tire shipment projections from the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). The good news: Replacement passenger tire shipments are expected to exceed what the RMA predicted a year ago. But if the RMA's latest fgures hold, about 1.8 million fewer replacement passenger tires will be shipped in 2015 than in 2014. That's a .9% decrease. Modern Tire Dealer looked back at the RMA's predictions over the past year. All numbers are in millions and fgures are rounded. 2014 fnal Dec. 2014 April 2015 Aug. 2015 Dec. 2015 Replacement passenger tires 206.5 204.1 205.3 206.8 204.7 And here's a look at the RMA's latest projections for each segment. 2014 fnal 2015 forecast % change OE passenger 47.8 50.0 4.7 OE light truck 4.6 4.4 -6.3 OE truck 5.7 6.2 9.1 Replacement passenger 206.5 204.7 -0.9 Replacement light truck 28.7 28.9 0.7 Replacement truck 17.4 18.0 3.0 Total shipments 310.7 312.1 0.4 Tire Pros: 700 stores and counting! The Tire Pros network of franchised tire retailers has sur- passed 700 stores. Tire Pros reached the milestone with the signing of Same Day Auto Repair Inc., which goes to market as Same Day Tire and Auto Repair. The fve-store chain serves the greater Tulsa, Okla., market. American Tire Distributor Inc.'s franchise program ended 2015 with 702 outlets repre- senting more than 500 owners. Tire Pros had a net gain of 65 stores in 2015. Tire Pros President Dan Brown expects the network's growth to con- tinue. "In 2015, 36% of our new location growth came from multi-store regional dealers who seek deeper operational and marketing support and broader association with like-minded tire retailers. Our fve newest stores are great examples of this." Same Day Tire and Auto Repair own- ers Danny and Tina Smith joined the program in late December. Worldpac signs agreement An agreement between Autologic Diagnostics Inc. and Worldpac Inc. will provide Autologic Assist diagnostics support to Worldpac's North American customers. Tire Recappers adds line Tire Recappers of Nashville Inc. has added a line of winter tires called CM&S; 2 to its collection of tire retreads. Pre-Q tread gets EPA approval Pre-Q Galgo Corp. has received Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay verification for its Super Single Wide Trailer (STW) tread design for 445/50R22.5 and 455/55R22.5 tire sizes. TIA endorses app The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has endorsed the checXchange mobile app from Money Transfer Systems Inc. for use by its U.S.- based association members. Continental donates to refugees Continental AG donated 100,000 euros to the Welthungerhilfe aid organization for Syrian refugees. 25 years for Yokohama plant Yokohama Tire Corp.'s plant in Salem, Va., has celebrated its 25th anniversary and produced its 80 millionth tire. The plant is a zero landfill operation and is ISO 14001 Environment System-certified. ALI accredits TÜV Rheinland The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) has accredited TÜV Rheinland AG, a global provider of independent testing, inspection, and certification services based in Germany. Latest TireMaster released ASA Automotive Systems Inc. introduced the latest versions of TireMaster software at its 18th annual InfoExpo Conference. Bosch creates PSA Robert Bosch LLC and the Humane Society of the United States have created "Stop the Roadkill," a public service announcement (PSA) that encourages drivers to improve visibility on the road by changing wiper blades regularly. bites Tire Pros executives celebrate 700 stores (from left): Bob Bittner, director of store support; Wes Stephen- son, vice president of operations; B. Quick Chadwick, director of marketing; and Dan Brown, president. 14