Viewpoints: Goodyear manager on TBR market

There was, though, considerable volatility in the market in both the first and second quarters, Howe told ERJ in an interview at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham.

“The truer figures are going to emerge when you see the first half of the year together, the Solihull, UK-based manager commented. “The trend will be more visible by then.”

Howe went on to note that Goodyear’s fleet business with major fleet operators and hauliers continues to give the company stability in the market. The approach, he said, “is about this whole element of security and stability having fleet contracts with relatively stability to it.”

Howe declined to comment directly about the impact of EU tariffs on Chinese TBR imports, apart from saying that the situation would “play out over the next couple of months or so.”

More generally, he said that Goodyear see lots of opportunity from developments in the commercial vehicle tire market, particularly around awareness of total-cost-of-ownership.

“Sitting down and taking a very consultative approach with fleets allows them to see the price of the tire to start and then over the life of that tire,” he said. “So, there is a full life-cycle, and true cost-of-ownership is where we see ourselves in the market.”

The Goodyear manager believes that fleet operators will continue to have a choice between selecting a lower cost-price selling tires or looking at the total-cost-of-ownership: “That [choice] remains in the market, and I don’t see a time when that will not be here.”

Predictive lift

A feature of the Goodyear stand at this year’s CV Show was its Proactive Solutions vehicle-to-fleet operations management system. This was stated to have helped fleets reduce tire costs by almost 25%, since its launch in late 2016.

Many of the savings, he explained, stem from the use of predictive technology to prevent incidents and to enhance fleet-management, maintenance, transport-flow and even drivers’ skills.

At the Birmingham NEC, the company also showcased its Kmax and Fuelmax range, Howe saying that Goodyear would to launch next-generation versions of these tires towards the end of this year.

“We need to focus on our strategy, which is to secure wheel positions at fleets. That will mostly take care of us in this market regardless of what else is going on,” the Goodyear manager concluded.