NEW YORK | Having officially merged its North American truck tire and retreading operations earlier this month, Bridgestone rolled out its new Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions (BBTS) business unit publicly for 1,000 dealers and distributors gathered here for the truck tire group’s annual BizCon meeting.
Along with the new name, Saul Solomon was introduced as the president of the newest Bridgestone Corp. business unit, which has moved its headquarters to the former Bandag offices in Muscatine, Iowa. Bridgestone purchased the privately held retread franchising business in mid-2007.
The goal is to bring fleets tires, retreads and solutions into one integrated package, Solomon told the group. The new operating unit has been structured “to be easy to do business with,” yet acknowledges that “no one size fits all customers,” he said.
Sales and marketing for the merged Bridgestone truck tire and retread business will remain in Bridgestone’s North American headquarters in Nashville. Those functions will be headed by Bridgestone veteran Singh Alhuwalia, now president, sales & marketing for BBTS.
The companies brands – Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and Bandag – will continue to go to market under their current mix of channels, which include fleet sales, independent dealers and truckstops, and franchises for the Bandag retread line, according to Alhuwalia.
Bridgestone will remain the premium truck tire brand, with a support infrastructure for fleets to match that market position, according to Alhuwalia. Firestone will continue to offer a less costly option, the Dayton brand will compete on price with low-cost imported truck tires, and Bandag will retain its franchise structure, he added.
