FEDERAL WAY, Wash.-A tire technician with Stevens Tire Sales & Service in Auburn, Wash., was killed when a truck tire he was mounting exploded Nov. 27. Gerald Hiller, 36, was in the parking lot of All American Moving & Storage in Federal Way reportedly mounting a retreaded tire on a truck when the tire exploded. There were no witnesses to the incident and the state Department of Labor and Industry is investigating.
Stevens Tire Comptroller Dick Ward said that based on the damage to the tire, the explosion could have been related to a ``zipper'' rupture on the sidewall.
NTDRA convention attendance off 14%
WASHINGTON-Overall attendance at the 1995 National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association convention and trade show in New Orleans dropped by 14.1 percent from the year before, according to association statistics.
Dealer attendance also fell, but by a lesser margin.
The New Orleans convention drew 5,439 attendees, including dealers and exhibitor personnel compared with 6,335 in Dallas the year before. The number of dealers in New Orleans slid 8.6 percent to about 3,500.
``The association is disappointed in the numbers,'' a spokesman said. ``.*.*.*I think we're taking positive steps to listen and make changes.''
By comparison, the 1995 American Retreaders Association's convention and trade show drew 5,111 exhibitor and dealer attendees.
The 1995 Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week in Las Vegas attracted a total attendance of 56,000, of which 1,210 were independent tire dealers.
Tire piles catch fire at Safe Tire plant
MIDLOTHIAN, Texas-A loading vehicle is suspected of sparking a blaze Dec. 1 that spread to about 17 mountains of tire shreds at Safe Tire Disposal's scrap tire processing plant in Midlothian.
Firefighters battled the blaze for three days and planned to keep a week-long vigil at the site as earthmovers pulled apart the piles.
Millions of shredded tires are reportedly stored in at least 34 piles on the site.
BFS to hike OTR tire prices 3% in Jan.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Bridge-stone/Firestone Off Road Tire Co. will raise prices on all off-the-road tire lines an average of 3 percent Jan. 1 due to higher costs of raw materials.
The company's giant OTR radials, which measure 49 inches or larger in diameter, will see the biggest boost-up to 10 percent on a case-by-case basis.
Other OTR tire makers are watching closely to determine whether to follow suit.
BFS last increased prices up to 8.3 percent on all lines July 3.
Denman Tire Corp. and Goodyear both increased their OTR prices earlier this year and said they have no plans for additional hikes at the beginning of the year.
Jurnak, NTDRA show manager, to leave
WASHINGTON-Loretta Jurnak, managing director of the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association's convention and education group, will resign Dec. 31 after more than 21 years on the staff.
Ms. Jurnak had informed the association a year ago that she was planning to leave at the end of 1995 to pursue other interests, the NTDRA said.
The association is considering hiring a show management firm to replace Ms. Jurnak's position.
Goodyear to buy stake on Polish firm
AKRON-Goodyear has made inroads into Eastern Europe with the planned purchase of a major stake in TC Debica, a leading tire producer in Poland.
For $55 million, Goodyear will buy the Polish State Treasury's 32.7-percent interest in the company, which expects to report $200 million in sales for 1995.
Under the agreement, Good-year will invest $60 million next year to improve Debica's plant, bringing the total investment to $115 million and increasing the U.S. tire maker's percentage of ownership of Debica.
Antera, Budnik net Wheel-of-Year kudos
LAS VEGAS-Eagle One presented its fifth annual ``Wheel of the Year'' awards to Antera Wheels for its one-piece Type 121 wheel and to Budnik Wheels for its multi-piece Trilogy III wheel during Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week in Las Vegas.
More than 3,000 industry representatives voted for three finalists in each category. Finalists were judged on originality, quality, styling, design and construction.
TB to increase subscription rates
AKRON-TIRE BUSINESS will increase its subscription rates in 1996 to $55 for a one-year subscription ($77 in Canada) and $100 for a two-year subscription.
Group rates will be: $40 each for five to 29 subscriptions; $35 each for 30-49 subscriptions; and $30 each for 50-plus subscrip-tions. Single copy rates will remain $3.50.