Page 18 - RB-71-15-4

NORTH AMERICA
will also distribute new tyres, will position us to expand our market share on several popular aircraft, including the Boeing 737NG,” said Dunlop Aircraft Tyres’ chairman, Ian Edmondson.
“Overseas expansion has been key to the company’s recent success. We now export more than 80 per cent of the products we make in Birmingham and our strategy of offering local tyre distribution and retreading has already proven itself successful in Asia Pacific.
“This latest investment is good
news for our employees in Birmingham, it’s good news for our customers and it will be good news for the community in which we decide to establish the facility.”
In 2009, Dunlop Aircraft Tyres opened a similar tyre distribution and retreading facility in China. It now employs nearly 60 people and supports airlines across Asia Pacific including Air Nelson, ANA, China Express, Japan Air Commuter, Mandarin Airlines, QantasLink and SpiceJet.
One. "He is a high-quality individual, and we are very pleased to have him on the Best-One team.” With more than 250 partner
locations, Best-One Tire & Service is one of the largest independent tyre dealer networks in the United States.
McCarthy Tire Acquires Terry-Haggerty Tire
McCarthy Tire Service
Co. Inc. purchased Terr y-Haggerty Tire Co. from Jim and Tom Terry in a transaction at the end of August this year. The acquisition gives McCarthy a combined commercial- retail location and a stand-alone retread shop in Albany, New York. Terr y-Haggerty provides retail and commercial tyre services, with the largest portion of its business devoted to servicing truck fleets throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut.
“Terry-Haggerty was one of the best servicing dealers in the Albany area and in upstate New York,” says John McCarthy Jr., president. “Coupled with our acquisition of Main Tire Exchange, which took place about a year and a half ago, we’ve really
bolstered our service capabilities and production capabilities in upstate New York.”
This purchase boosts McCarthy’s capability with Bandag retread offers reaching as high as 200 units per say from its seven truck tyre plants and single OTR plant.
McCarthy will be investing in new plant and transport equipment and aims to upgrade the customer facing end of the business to bring it into line with its existing standards.
This brings McCarthy’s employee roll to some 970 staff..
“Jim and Tom were in business for 65 years, and we picked up a lot of great people and a lot of great customers. They were really great people to deal with throughout this transaction,” says McCarthy.
Bridgestone Launches New Products at GATS
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions launched the Firestone FS561 all- position radial tyre and Bandag B799 tread product designed to complement the Bridgestone M799 at the Great American Truck Show in Dallas.
The FS561, which is designed to reduce susceptibility to stone retention and drilling, is recommended for steering applications in regional and pickup and delivery use, Bridgestone said. “The new FS561 is built for demanding environments, with features such as a tough tread cap compound and solid shoulder ribs that help resist manoeuvering scrub leading to increased tread life,” said Matt Loos, director of truck and bus marketing, Bridgestone Commercial Solutions.
Additional features of the Firestone FS561 include sidewall protector ribs for resistance to cuts, snags and abrasions from curbing and impacts; stone rejectors in centre grooves to reduce susceptibility to stone retention and drilling; and innovative sidewall design for reduced tyre weight to improve fuel economy
without sacrificing durability.
The Firestone FS561 is available in the U.S. and Canada in sizes 295/75R22.5 and 11R22.5, Bridgestone said, with more sizes available later
The Bandag B799 tread design offers solid traction and deep tread depth that promotes long wear life for mild on/off-highway, regional haul and pick-up and delivery applications, Bridgestone said.
“The B799 meets the needs of fleets that operate in mixed service environments where they need on- road performance, as well as off-road capability where traction and durability are important,” said Matt Schnedler, retread product marketing manager.
Other features of the Bandag B799 include 28/32nd tread depth for long tread wear; open shoulder design for improved traction; and stone rejector technology to help prevent trapped stones from damaging the casing, preserving retreadability.
The Bandag B799 is available in four tread sizes in the U.S. and Canada— 210mm through 240mm.
Graham Partners Acquire Desser Tire
Graham Partners, a private investment firm has made a majority investment in Desser Tire & Rubber Company and affiliated companies, Aero Wheel & Brake Service Corporation and Cee Bailey’s Aircraft Plastics. Desser is primarily a leading supplier of aircraft tyres and tubes from its Los Angeles and Memphis facilities to customers in over 100 countries. Graham Partners has been seeking to make investments in the aviation product aftermarket, which Desser serves. Family-owned
and operated since 1920, and exclusively focused on aviation markets since 1985, Desser supplies new aircraft tyres, as well as other aviation products. Desser also holds Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approvals for high speed aircraft yre retreading and wheel and brake services, and produces aviation transparencies for aftermarket applications.
Chris Lawler, Managing Principal at Graham Partners, states, “Desser is an established market leader with unparalleled name recognition among customers for aircraft tyres and unique capabilities; we look forward to partnering with Desser’s management team to build upon Desser’s record of success as a specialised aviation product supplier.”
Best-One Expands
Best-One Tire & Service recently increased its presence in northeastern Ohio with the purchase of four commercial facilities including a Bandag retread plant, from American Tire Distributors Inc.
The former Terry’s Tire Town locations became Great Lakes Best- One Tire & Service on Aug. 1, 2014.
James Brott, who managed the Terry’s Tire Town locations for 23 years, will serve as the managing partner for the newly established Great Lakes Best-One locations. He has worked for 31 years in the tyre
industr y.
“I look forward to continuing the many long-term relationships that I’ve been able to establish with both my customers and employees in the more than 20 years that I’ve spent with Terry’s Town," he says.
Great Lakes Best-One will offer commercial tyres and service at its Canton, Girard, Twinsburg and Alliance, Ohio, locations. The company’s retreading facility also will operate out of Alliance.
"I’ve had the pleasure of knowing James Brott for many years," says Dave Hartman, director of commercial development for Best-
18 Retreading Business