MALDEN, Mass.-The alleged mislabeling of tire cord material has led Gans Tire Co. Inc. to sue Polish tire maker Stomil Olsztyn S.A. for $1.5 million. Stomil allegedly produced 1,500 to 2,000 mismarked irrigation tires for Gans, identifying the cording material as nylon when it actually was a non-nylon cellulose fiber cord, Gans Tire said.
The tire maker denies any wrongdoing. ``We are of the opinion that this summons has neither lawful nor factual grounds,'' said Stomil President Jan Debek.
Gans Tire first realized there could be a problem when a number of customers reported flat tires on their irrigation equipment. Gans sent out nearly 1,000 tubes to rectify the problem. Then reports of sidewall blowouts began appearing, said Bryan Gans, vice president of Gans Tire.
In the end, Gans Tire replaced a large number of the Stomil tires with other tires made with nylon carcasses. The material apparently used was inappropriate for irrigation applications, he said.
Gans Tire stopped purchasing from Stomil in late 1993, but the Polish firm refused to acknowledge its claim and has not reimbursed it for the costs incurred in replacing the failed tires, Mr. Gans said.
Filed last September, the suit also named as defendants exporters Ciech-Stomil Co. Ltd. and Ciech Import and Export of Chemicals Ltd.