Three foreign tire makers seeking their fortunes in U.S. original equipment fitments Does OE pay off in the long run? It does for their tire dealers, they say.

Tire Business, May, 2006 by Moore, Miles

Byline: Miles Moore

Three foreign-nameplate tire companies, all relatively new to holding North American original equipment contracts, see the OE market as more significant than just another avenue to sell their tires.

Two of them-Hankook Tire America Corp. and Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) Inc.-were the first two tire makers selected for Ford Motor Co.'s "Preferred Parts Makers'' program, through which the auto maker is streamlining its parts purchasing operations. The third, Maxxis International, is moving into supplying both Ford and General Motors (GM) Corp. in North America with full-sized tires after eight years of supplying temporary-use spares to Ford.

In addition, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. has opened an original equipment office in...

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