Commercial Tire Dealer™
On the record with off-the-road tire makers They have big plans in 2012. Some might say GIANT By Bob Ulrich
W
ould you consider a 20% increase in sales big? Domestic replacement OTR tire sales were up that much in 2011 compared to 2010. Pricing was up, too. The average price of an OTR tire in the United States rose 16.5%. Coupled with the increase in tires, sales totaled $553 million last year. Demand certainly outpaced supply. Bridgestone Americas Inc. broke ground on a radial OTR tire plant in South Carolina, and says it expects to produce large and giant tires in 2014. A number of other manufacturers have announced expansion plans for existing plants, including Titan Tire Corp. in Brazil. Ah, but what will happen in 2012? To find out, Modern Tire Dealer asked top executives from OTR tire manufacturers to share their large and giant tire plans with you. In addition, they boldly made predictions on what you can expect to happen in the OTR tire segment in the near term. Six tire makers participated: Bridgestone, Double Coin Holdings Ltd., Yokohama Tire Corp., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Michelin North America Inc. and Titan Tire. (See the sidebar on the next page for more on the executives who answered the questions.)
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MTD: What are your company’s plans for the large and giant OTR tire market in 2012 in terms of new products? Angie Jones (Bridgestone): Bridgestone has a number of new products rolling out in 2012. In particular for the large and giant OTR tire market, we will expand our line of the Firestone DuraLoad to include the 35/65-33 in both L4 and L5 depths. The DuraLoad was first introduced in size 45/65-45, featuring a larger footprint, unique sidewall protection and a new design for extended wear life. Initial field results have been positive, with longer overall life and durability. The patented sidewall protector has demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing sidewall damage from rock cuts and snags, reducing expensive removals. Our new Premium Pattern in the 27.00R49 size is the VREP (for V-steel Rock E-Premium). The VREP features a unique tread pattern to offer longer tread life combined with a high durability casing to provide reduced cost per OTR market size: hour compared to traditional U.S. replacement OTR tire units rock patterns. shipped... 42 Aaron Murphy (Double Coin): In 2012, Double CSA and truck tires: Coin is in normal production It’s time to step up and become your of all radial OTR products fleet customers’ solution provider... 45
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