Tire Review articles from January 1992

Tire Review archives from January 1992

Conti/General makes a splash. (Continental/General Tire Corp. introduces new products)
January 1, 1992... It looks like 1992 will be the year of the tire - the new tire. And that is especially true for Continental/General Tire. The world's fourth largest tire maker says that during 1992 it will replace about 70 percent of its line with new...

Ruuber industry sees steady growth in '92. (Industry Overview)
January 1, 1992... Despite a slow start in 1991, the rubber industry can expect solid, steady growth during the next five years, stated Thomas Cole, president of the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) at the group's annual meeting in November. "On the...

Stanley C Gault. (chairman and CEO, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... No one knows the retail tire market any better than the independent tire dealer. No one is in a better position to adapt to its changing nature, and to meet the different and changing needs of today's tire buyers. Our world has gone...

Barry Steinberg. (president, Direct Tire Sales, Watertown, Massachusetts) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Direct Tire's response to the challenge of doing business in these difficult times has been to retain our positive spirit. Despite the tough economy, our business has continued to prosper. Basically, we view our business as a service...

Jerry R. Curry. (administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) (Annual CEO Report)
January 1, 1992... With all the debate on safety and crashworthiness, sometimes it's difficult to remember that all of the forces driving, turning and stopping a car are transmitted through four small patches where the tires touch the road. We at the...

Alan L. Ockene. (president and CEO, General Tire, Akron, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... In my opinion, the tire industry in this country will have overcapacity for the next two or three years. Car sales have been the bellwether of the economy for as long as I can remember, and I think that is still the case, if to a lesser...

Jack Woodland. (president, Oliver Rubber Company, Oakland, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Economic uncertainties and fierce competitive pressure from both new tire and retread manufacturers have created many and varied challenges for the independent retreader in 1992. Retreadable casings continued to fall short of demand, with...

Lee Fiedler. (president and CEO, Kelly-Springfield Tire) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The winds of change are blowing new life into the U.S. replacement tire market, and they are coming at a time when the industry is receptive. Most dramatic of the changes are the new leaders in the industry, new consumer-oriented...

Wayne Reichman. (president, Laramie Tire Distributors, Imc., Norriswon, Pennsylvannia) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Overcapacity, price fluctuations, recession, etc. What do all these words (and many more come to mind) mean to us and our fellow independent tire dealers? We believe that now is the time to re-evaluate. We need to examine our roles in the...

Patrick W. Rooney. (president and COO, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., Findlay, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As we look back on the year that just passed, we can readily see the confusion that existed in our national economy. Almost every day in 1991 we would read headlines that contradicted the previous day's announcement. Economists had us...

Yoshi Okada. (president and CEO, Falek Tire Corp., Rancho Cucamonga, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Our 1992 tire industry displays many encouraging signs, despite the slower than estimated economic recovery. Tires must be sold at higher prices! More dollars! Why should the retail selling price per tire be lower than that of the 1980s?...

Phillip B. Rooney. (president and COO, Waste Management, Inc., Oak Brook, Illinois) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Annual waste tire disposal (about 240 million tires) is approximately 1 percent of the total municipal solid waste stream in the U.S. According to the Scrap Tire Management Council, 175 to 205 million scrap tires are added to existing...

Rich Betz. (president, Reliable Tire, Camden, New Jersey) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The tire industry appears to be in a state of total confusion. Manufacturers, as well as many dealers, seem to be adrift with no sense of direction. Everyone agrees that we need to get more business with improved profit margins, but few seem...

Paul Bobzin. (president, La Canada Tire, La Canada, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The damage has been done. The valuable piece of china has fallen off the table, onto the floor, and shattered. How it fell off the table is another story Now the most important part is putting the pieces back together. This is the state of...

T.K. Willingham. (president and CEO, Perfect Equipment Corp., LaVergne, Tennesesee) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Do you recall anyone ever foretelling the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Persian Gulf War or the collapse of Communism? Probably not, but more than likely you hear many predictions of our current recession, and no doubt you feel its effect....

Herman K. Hoschschwender. (chairman and CEO, Smithers Scientific Services, Inc., Akron, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... When examining the U.S. auto industry, it's critical to note that we now have more passenger vehicles in the United States than we have licensed drivers. Consequently, the auto marketplace is completely saturated. Future auto sales will...

Marc I. Hoffman. (president, Jetzon Tire & Rubber Co., Montgomerryville, Pennsylvania) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... It has been a long time since I could say I liked the direction in which the tire business was heading. I can now make that statement with confidence. if there is one positive outcome of a recession, it is that it causes us to go back to good...

Russel L. Mulvey. (president, Mohawk Tire, Akron, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The 1990's were entered with great expectations, new energies and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, in reality, what have these first years brought to the tire industry? We continue to grapple with the age-old problems of capacity, tire...

Stan Dill. (president, National Tire System, Vacaville, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... This year, tire dealerships are having to provide more services and work harder. Overhead costs have had to be trimmed, new sales pursued and recreation has taken a lower priority This age-old procedure seems new to some dealerships. ...

Thomas L. Kress. (vice president and GM, TRW Auto Aftermarket Div., Cleveland, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As TRW Automotive After-market Division analyzes current market conditions, we are faced with the hard-hitting reality of both the promising and adverse trends impacting our business. While we project total unit growth for the automotive...

Rick L. Horn. (president and CEO, Iowa Mold Tooling Co., Garner, Iowa) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Very few events in 1991 were surprising as our industry continues to experience dramatic changes. Much of the conventional wisdom used to build this industry was challenged as the need for change appeared to require revolution rather than...

Dan Wire. (vice president of sales and marketing, Sumitomo Tire, San Francisco, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As recently as three or four months ago, I would have said, " If you want to know the state of the tire industry, just read last year's CEO Report because nothing has changed." The economy was still weak with automotive-related suppliers...

E. Leon Viars. (president, Gabriel Ride Control, Columbus, Indiana) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The year has proven to be an exciting one for Gabriel Ride Control Products. While the hard parts and ride control markets have experienced a 4-5 percent decrease in unit sales, Gabriel has witnessed an increase in its shipments. We...

P.K. Fujita. (president and CEO, Dunlop Tire Corp., Buffalo, New York) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... It shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that the current economic slowdown has made turning a profit in the tire industry difficult. The recent industry-wide price increase is a positive step toward offsetting escalating costs. But price alone...

Steve Perlstein. (sales manager, Mohawk Resources Ltd., Amsterdam, New York) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The most difficult challenge for today's independent tire dealers may not be the poor economic conditions of late, nor the changing automotive technology, nor even extended treadlife of tires. The issue is the ever-changing face of American...

Robert F. Gatzke. (president, National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association) (Annual CEO Report) (Industry Overview)
January 1, 1992... Independent tire dealers and retreaders are facing a national economic picture that is sluggish in nearly every part of the country. While the general business climate might improve, it is evident the tire, retread and auto service industries...

Louis S. Myers. (chairman, Myers Industries Inc., Akron, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... We get a consistent answer from our independent tire dealer customers around the country about what it takes to be competitive in the 1990s. They tell us the basic requirement has not changed in years; it is: give people the best service in...

Larry McCurdy. (president and CEO, MOOG Automotive Inc., St. Louis, Missouri) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Coming on the heels of one of the most volatile economic years in recent memory, 1992 is being approached with "cautious optimism" by many companies throughout the aftermarket. Despite consumers' continued reluctance to spend, due to...

Bill Floyd. (executive director, Ohio Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association) (Annual CEO Report)
January 1, 1992... Association executives are often asked about the prime function of a nonprofit trade association. Speaking for the Ohio Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association (OTDRA), we serve as a "clearinghouse of information" for Ohio's retail tire...

Giuseppe Morchio. (president, Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corp.) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... We are all familiar with business cycles. And, no matter how hard we work to minimize the peaks and valleys, every business must endure times when general economic conditions and specific industry problems combine to make life difficult and...

H.K. Kim. (president, Hankook Tire America Corp., Hackensack, New Jersey) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Much has happened in the world during the past 12 months. We had a war, a recession/a recovery, a breakup of the Soviet Union, record level price increases in the tire industry, and on and on and on. But let me confine my remarks to the...

Douglas R. Winter. (president, Progressive Computer Systems, Kirkland, Washington) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As we reflect on 1991 and look ahead to 1992, it is hard to make a sure prediction. The President of our country says we are not having a recession, yet our economy sure feels as though we are going through some rough times. Regardless of...

H.J Demas. (vice president and general manager, Industrial Fibers Allied-Signal Inc, New York, New York) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As the U.S. and other industrial economies work their way out of recession, the global automotive industry and its suppliers - including tire makers - will continue in the coming year to experience weak demand and less than optimal...

Koin (Ken) Suzuki. (president, Yokohama Tire Corp., Fullerton, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As I embark on my first year as president of Yokohama Tire Corporation, there are many challenges to be met on both a corporate and industry level. And with those challenges come a wide range of opportunities for Yokohama. Having been...

Robert Schauenberg. (vice president of national accounts, John Deere Insurance Co., Moline, Illinois) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The slow economy and increasing competition are squeezing tire dealers on two fronts, yet 1992 may offer significant growth and savings opportunities from an insurance standpoint. Competition among insurance companies for tire dealer...

David W. Schaub. (chief operating officer, Michelin American Small Tires, Akron, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Times are tough. But that's not news to anyone. Industry-wide, tire shipments to auto manufacturers are down 10 percent compared to a year earlier, and the 1991 replacement passenger tire market was just about equal to 1990. Sales are...

Jack Reilly. (president and CEO, Tenneco Automotive, Chicago, Illinois) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... What kind of year will 1992 be? Not an easy one, that's certain. The segments of the automotive aftermarket in which we operate exhaust and ride control - will be mostly flat this year. Replacement rates for our products are steady, at best,...

Steve Kiyama. (president, Toyo Tire USA, Compton, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Last year we identified three primary issues consolidation, capacity and globalization - and outlined our planned responses for 1991. I'm pleased to report that we delivered as promised on our plans for 1991 and are in a very solid position...

Eli Szklanka. (general manager, ASA Tire Systems Group, Westborough, Massachusetts) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Quality. Over the past few years, quality has become the rallying cry of North American industry. Magazine article after magazine article and expert after expert tell us that quality in our goods and services is the key differentiator between...

Craig E. Anderson. (president, Hercules Tire & Rubber, Findlay, Ohio) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... In preparing this year's article for the CEO Report, I remember the words of Jack Hone in last year's report... "Suppose they gave a recession and nobody came?" 1991 was the best year in Hercules '40-year history. The programs that were...

Charley Quarelli. (owner, QMI/Q Distributors, Tuczon, Arizona) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As we reflect on 1991 and begin to look forward in this new year, we realize we have faced a very weak and sluggish national economy. As business owners and operators, we face lower profit margins, a consumer reluctance to perform maintenance...

Robert C. Gardner. (president, Del-Nat Tire, Memphis, Tennessee) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Currently, and for the foreseeable future, our unit volume will be flat. Our opportunity will be in increased dollars due to the higher cost of high performance and light truck radials. The opportunity is excellent in these areas because of...

Al Hoffman. (president, Jetzon One, Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... In order to look ahead to the future, I choose to first go back a decade in history. When I felt it was time to "hang up my spikes" about nine years ago, there were few retail tire chains as we know them today. Those that were in...

Dan Ogden. (senior vice president, Brisgestone/Firestone Inc., Nashville, Tennessee) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... During 1991, the tire industry in the U.S. experienced high inventories even though manufacturing capacity was under-utilized. Manufacturers and retailers suffered together during stagnant economic conditions. Bridgestone/Firestone,...

George Bishop. (executive vice-president, Truflex/Pang Rubber Co., Los Angeles, California) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... In 1992, we at Truflex/Pang intend to follow the same basic principles of good business that have made our company strong during the last 60+ years. These principles include providing our customers with top-quality products and service backed...

Mario J. Gabelli. (chairman, Gabelli & Co., New York, New York) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Looking back on 1991, the brightest light for the tire and automotive aftermarket industries was the stock market. Prices more than doubled for the two remaining independent tire companies and scored impressive gains for many automotive parts...

Louis S. DiPasqua. (president and COO, TBC Corp., Memphis, Tennessee) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... Reflecting on recent history, it's difficult to recall a 12-month period with so many major events impacting our world and, specifically, one piece of it - the tire industry. The fall of communism in the Soviet Union; war and smashing...

Wee Sprunk. (Tire Service Equipment Mfg. Co. Inc.; Sa-Tee Siping & Grooving Inc., Phoenix, Arizona) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... In preparing this article, I am reminded of some advice I received years ago. I became a partner with a father-and-son business, and we were going through tough times in the economy. I kept telling the father how bad business was, according...

Jack DeMao. (presidnet, Auto Division of Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co., Utica, New York) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... To be successful in 1992, tire dealers - as well as manufacturers and distributors - will have to take market share away from the competition. We cannot rely on growth from the market. To gain the competitive edge in this soft market,...

Miguel Coll. (president and CEO, Funsa Tire & Wheel, Brooklyn, New York) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The voice on the other end of the phone was assuring: "The Giants are a definite win for Monday night. You can bet on it! " The next 100 calls heard the same voice guarantee the victory for the opponent, the Redskins. To be sure, the salesman...

John R. Rines. (general manager, General Motors Service Parts Operations, Detroit, Michigan) (Annual CEO Report ) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The independent automotive aftermarket will continue to be a growing, fiercely competitive industry. Challenges and opportunities abound. Naturally, not all aftermarket-related companies will share equally in the expected overall growth....

Joe Amato. (president, Keystone Automotive Warehouse, Exeter, Pennsylvania) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... What can really be expected out of 1992? For those of us in the automotive industry, it's tough to answer. Think about it. Last year gave us a war, the breakup of the Soviet Union, deep reductions in interest rates and wave after wave of...

Victor D. Hawes. (director of marketing, Uni-Ram Corp., Markham, Ontario, Canada) (Annual CEO Report) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... As we begin 1992, we look back on the past year, and also to the statements that we made at this time last year, most of which still hold true with regard to the attitude of the general public, and also to you - our tire dealers - towards the...

Harvey Brodsky. (managing director, Tire Retread Information Bureau, Pacific Grove, California) (Annual CEO Report ) (Company Profile)
January 1, 1992... The interest in retreading by government agencies continues to grow, in spite of continued resistance by many old-timers who will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th century. Thanks to the efforts of the Tire Retread...

Tom Cole. (president, Rubber Manufacturers Association) (Annual CEO Report) (Industry Overview)
January 1, 1992... By most accounts, the automotive industry and its suppliers have started off the nineties with something less than a bang. Certainly, many tire manufacturers and their retailers, including company-owned stores, independent dealers and...