Tire Brand History
MICHELIN® A LITTLE HISTORY
In 1889 two brothers, Édouard Michelin and André Michelin, ran a rubber factory in Clermont-Ferrand, France. One day, a cyclist whose pneumatic tire needed repair turned up at the factory. The tire was glued to the rim, and it took over three hours to remove and repair the tire, which then needed to be left overnight to dry. The next day, Édouard Michelin took the repaired bicycle into the factory yard to test. After only a few hundred metres, the tire failed. Despite the setback, Édouard was enthusiastic about the pneumatic tire, and he and his brother worked on creating their own version, one that did not need to be glued to the rim. Michelin was incorporated on 28 May 1889. In 1891 Michelin took out its first patent for a removable pneumatic tire which was used by Charles Terront to win the world's first long distance cycle race, the 1891 Paris–Brest–Paris.
Michelin developed and patented a key innovation in tire history, the 1946 radial tire, and successfully exploited this technological innovation to become one of the worlds leading tire manufacturers. The radial was initially marketed as the "X” tire. It was developed with the front-wheel-drive Citroën Traction Avantand Citroën 2CV in mind. Michelin had bought the then-bankrupt Citroën in the 1930s. Because of its superiority in handling and fuel economy, use of this tire quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia. In the U.S., the outdated bias-ply tire persisted, with market share of 87% in 1967.
In 1989, Michelin acquired the recently merged tire and rubber manufacturing divisions of the American firms B.F. Goodrich Company (founded in 1870) and Uniroyal, Inc. (founded in 1892 as the United States Rubber Company).
As of 1 September 2008, Michelin is again the world's largest tire manufacturer after spending two years as number two behind Bridgestone. Michelin produces tires in France, Spain, Germany, the USA, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Italy and several other countries.
SOURCE FROM wikipedia
BFGOODRICH® A LITTLE HISTORY
Founded by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich in 1870, the BFGoodrich Company, later known as BFGoodrich, was among the first rubber tire manufacturers to be located west of the Appalachian Mountain Range. In the previous year, Goodrich had purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company. Based in Akron, Ohio, the BFGoodrich Company began as a manufacturer of rubberized hoses, which were sold mostly as firehoses. The company also produced rubberized belts, similar to those used on modern vehicles as serpentine belts (fan belt). As the company grew, it began to manufacture pneumatic bicycle tires, eventually leading to the production of pneumatic automobile tires in 1896, this made BFGoodrich the first company in the United States to manufacture this type of tire.
BFGoodrich was not the only tire manufacturer in the United States at the turn of the 20th Century. Among its competitors were Goodyear, Firestone, General and Uniroyal. Due to extensive research and scientific methods, such as tire wear evaluation and longevity testing, BFGoodrich was at the leading edge of the industry. Ford Motor Company, then owned by Henry Ford, chose BFGoodrich tires to be fitted in the new Model A Ford in 1903. That same year, the Model A, equipped with the tires, became the first car to cross the United States from east to west. This event made BFGoodrich a household name.
BFGoodrich developed and markets its flagship All-Terrain T/A and Mud-Terrain T/A tires. Due to its unique tread design and known raised white letters on the tire sidewall, the tire consolidated a loyal customer base, especially among off-roading enthusiasts, its main application is light trucks and SUVs.
SOURCE FROM wikipedia
TOYO® A brief history of Toyo Tires
Toyo Tires has stood for innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service for over 60 years, including 28 years in Canada. Combined, the Toyo group of companies has development, manufacturing, testing, distribution, and marketing operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania.
As a result, Toyo Tires has built a solid reputation around the world. And who knows tires better than the very people who sell them everyday? In North America, Toyo Tires has been named #1 Overall Brand again and again and again by tire dealers in Tire Review magazine’s Annual Tire Brand Study*.
In fact, our consumer tires have been voted #1 Overall Brand by North American tire dealers an unprecedented seven times since 2000. Since 2002, our medium truck tires have received the honor five times.
Founding
The vision to manufacture great tires began in August 1945, when the founding president, Mr. Rikimatsu Tomihisa, established the Toyo Tire & Rubber Co, Ltd. in Japan.
In 1982, Toyo Tires established a Canadian subsidiary. From a small office just outside of Vancouver, Toyo Tire Canada Inc. began warehousing and distributing passenger, light truck and commercial truck tires. Through a network of independent tire dealers, the Toyo Tires brand began to grow in Canada.
The first tires manufactured in North America to bear the Toyo Tires brand occurred in the late 1980s when the company began producing commercial tires in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.
Today, the company's Canadian headquarters are in Richmond, British Columbia, and distribution is supported by nearly 90,000 square feet of warehousing in BC, with additional warehouses in Ontario and Quebec.
SOURCE TOYO.CA
YOKOHAMA® A LITTLE HISTORY
The Yokohama Rubber Company, Limited (横浜ゴム株式会社 Yokohama Gomu Kabushiki-gaisha) is a tire company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company founded and started in 1917 in a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and B.F. Goodrich. In 1969 the company expanded to the United States as Yokohama Tire Corporation. The Aspec A300 was the driving force behind its tremendous rise. Branding, especially in Japan, will often use "ADVAN" instead of Yokohama. ADVAN wheels and tires have a strong presence in the aftermarket scene worldwide.
The company has two manufacturing facilities in the United States: one in Salem, Virginia, and another in West Point, Mississippi.
From the 2015-16 season, Yokohama is the sponsors of Premier League football club Chelsea.
In the United States, Yokohama Tire Corporation participates in The American Le Mans Series ALMS and Red Line Time Attack.
Yokohama is the official tire supplier of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, the World Touring Car Championship and Japanese Super Formula.
Yokohama has been the official tire supplier of the Macau Grand Prix Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup race since 1983.
Yokohama Tire sponsors the NBA teams the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs.
Yokohama also the official tire partner of former American Le Mans Series GT2 team PTG from 2005 until 2009 season.
CONTINENTAL® A LITTLE HISTORY
Continental AG, commonly known as Continental, is a leading German automotive manufacturing company specialising in tyres, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis components, tachographs, and other parts for the automotive and transportation industries. Continental is based in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. Continental is the world's fourth-largest tyre manufacturer. Continental was founded in 1871 as a rubber manufacturer, Continental-Caoutchouc und Gutta-Percha Compagnie. After acquiring Siemens AG's VDO automotive unit in 2007[8] Continental was ranked third in global OEM automotive parts sales in 2012 according to a study sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
One of Continental's main areas of expertise and technological leadership is fuel consumption reduction, achieved through more efficient fuel injection systems, reduced rolling-resistance tyres, and hybrid propulsion systems.
Continental sells tyres for automobiles, motorcycles, and bicycles worldwide under the Continental brand. It also produces and commercialises other brands on a regional level, such as General (US/Canada), Gislaved (Canada, Nordic Markets), Semperit (industrial applications), Euzkadi (Mexico/Latin America) and Barum to serve EU & Russia. Continental's customers include all major automobile, truck and bus producers, such as Volkswagen, Daimler AG, Ford, Volvo, Iveco, Schmitz, Koegel, Freightliner Trucks, BMW, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Renault, PSA and Porsche.
Continental Tire entered the North American tire industry with its 1987 purchase of General Tire, forming Continental Tire of North America (CTNA).[30] At the time, Continental was following other tire manufacturers, such as Bridgestone and Michelin, into the American tire market.
The North American headquarters of the tire divisions are located in Lancaster County, South Carolina. The North American headquarters of the CAS division are located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, directly east of the Great Lakes Crossing mall.
SOURCE FROM wikipedia
PIRELLI® A LITTLE HISTORY
Founded in Milan in 1872 by Giovanni Battista Pirelli, the company initially specialised in rubber and derivative processes and also made scuba diving rebreathers. Thereafter, Pirelli's activities were primarily focused on the production of tyres and cables (for energy and telecommunications).
In the 1950s, Alberto Pirelli commissioned the building of a skyscraper, Pirelli Tower, in the same Milanese area that housed the very first Pirelli factory during the 19th century.
In 1974, Pirelli invented the "wide radial tyre", upon a request from the Lancia rally racing team for a tyre strong enough to withstand the power of the new Lancia Stratos. At that time, racing tyres were either slick tyres made with the cross ply technique (very wide tyres with a reduced sidewall height), or radial tyres, which were too narrow to withstand the Stratos' power and did not provide enough grip. Both were unusable for the Lancia Stratos, as the radials were destroyed within 10 km, and the slicks too stiff. Lancia asked Pirelli for a solution, and in 1975 Pirelli created a wide tyre with a reduced sidewall height like a slick, but with a radial structure.
Subsequently, Porsche started using the same tyres with the Porsche 911 Turbo.
In 1988, Pirelli acquired the Armstrong Rubber Company, which was headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, for $190 million.
In 2002 the company started a range of Pirelli branded clothing, watches and eyewear.
GENERAL TIRE® A LITTLE HISTORY
The General Tire and Rubber Company is an American manufacturer of tires for motor vehicles.
General Tire was founded in 1915 in Akron, Ohio, by William F. O'Neil. The company later diversified into a conglomerate with holdings in tires, rubber compounds, rocketry and aeronautics, entertainment and news, and real estate.
The tire and rubber division was sold to Germany's Continental in 1987, and is now known as Continental Tire North America, Inc. The rocketry business was kept and expanded and after a couple company name changes, the parent company is now Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings .
William O'Neil had a Firestone franchise in Kansas City. He started a small manufacturing facility for tire repair products, and called it Western Tire and Rubber.
As Firestone grew, it sold additional franchises, reducing the territories of its earlier franchisees. Dissatisfied, O'Neil decided to compete with Firestone instead, using the expertise he had gained with Western. He went into partnership with his father, a department store owner in Akron, and formed General Tire in 1915 using $200,000 in capital borrowed from the store. The O'Neils hired away some Firestone managers.[1]
Initially, they focused on repair materials, as with Western Tire, but in 1916 they expanded into tire manufacturing, focusing on high-end products.
Despite the difficult business climate of World War I, in 1917, O'Neil established a dealership network and began an advertising campaign. By 1930, the company had 14 retail stores and about 1.8% of the tire market. During the depression, as competitors failed, General bought out Yale Tire and Rubber, and India Tire and Rubber. By 1933, it had increased market share to 2.7%. This was a relatively large number, considering that the company limited its product line.[1][
Because the depression was particularly hard on manufacturing, General bought several Ohio radio stations on which it advertised. In 1943, General Tire diversified the core business strategy, purchasing the Yankee Network and the radio stations it owned from Boston's Shepard Stores, Inc. Thomas F. O'Neil, son of the founder William F. O'Neil, served as Yankee's chairman with Shepard's John Shepard III serving as president.
General Tire continued its move into broadcasting by acquiring the Don Lee Broadcasting System, a well-respected regional radio network on the West Coast, in 1950. Among other stations, it added KHJ-AM-FM in Los Angeles and KFRC-AM-FM in San Francisco to its stable from the Yankee acquisition. In 1952, it bought WOR/WOR-FM/WOR-TV in New York City and merged its broadcasting interests into a new division, General Teleradio.
General Tire's final move into entertainment was the acquisition of RKO Radio Pictures from Howard Hughes in 1955 for $25 million. General Tire was interested mainly in using the RKO film library to program its television stations, so it sold the RKO lot at Sunset and Gower in Hollywood to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Productions in 1956 for $6 million. The remaining assets of RKO were merged with General Teleradio, and the new company eventually became known as RKO General. The radio stations became some of the leading broadcasters in the world, but the division was dragged down by unethical conduct at its television stations. This culminated in the longest licensing dispute in television history, eventually forcing RKO General out of the broadcasting business.
In the late 1930s, the United States Army became interested in rockets. A group of California Institute of Technology engineers won a contract to produce rocket engines to speed airplane liftoff, and formed a company named Aerojet. The group succeeded with liquid-fuel rockets, but needed additional materials science and manufacturing expertise to create more sophisticated solid-fuel rockets. Aerojet went into partnership with General Tire, using General's capitalization, expertise with rubber binders, and chemical manufacturing facilities. The partnership was renamed Aerojet-General.
In its advertising in the 1970s and '80s, the brand's slogan was: "Sooner or later, you'll own Generals.”
GenCorp sold General Tire to German tire maker Continental AG in 1987. General Tire still exists today as part of Continental's American operations.
SOURCE FROM wikipedia
UNIROYAL® A LITTLE HISTORY
Uniroyal tires are chosen by so many different people, for so many different reasons and for so many different vehicles, that we have become a trusted part of the lives of millions of Americans.
The Uniroyal tiger has been our well-known and well-loved mascot since 1964. Over the years, the Uniroyal tiger has come to symbolize the tradition, perseverance, and pride that have been a part of the Uniroyal® brand long before the tiger's first day on the job.
Our Innovations
Today, the Uniroyal brand continues to go the extra mile for you by putting all of our effort into making high quality, durable car and truck tires that today's drivers can afford.
Our tires provide all the features and benefits you consider important in a high-quality, dependable tire. Just take a look at our latest innovations -- the Laredo® Cross Country, an SUV and pick-up tire built to conquer everyday adventures, and the Tiger Paw® Touring, a comprehensive line of tires for sedans and mini-vans that helps deliver outstanding wear and handling at an affordable price.
SOURCE UNIROYAL.CA
