LAS VEGAS (Feb. 1, 2000)—Although it has existed since the early 1980s, Goodyear´s retreading system has experienced an identity crisis.
The system served Goodyear retreaders and fleet customers well and evolved technologically over time, yet not all within the trucking industry today recognize Goodyear as a retreader.
To solve that problem, Goodyear is polishing its retreading image into what it hopes will be a more recognizable name—Next-Tred Innovative Retreading Solutions—and marketing it together with its Truckwise dealer program, said JB Jaboor, general manager of Next-Tred.
About a year ago, Goodyear´s dealer council asked Goodyear to freshen up the company´s retreading name so that it would be more apparent to fleets that Goodyear was in the retreading business. Goodyear responded by rolling out the Next-Tred name and logo at its dealer conference Jan. 19 in Las Vegas.
The company will make Next-Tred a prominent name on all signage at its dealerships and within all Truckwise promotional literature, Mr. Jaboor told Tire Business.
The logo features the company´s wingfoot symbol nestled between the two words. The company said the new name highlights its mission to serve its customers beyond the life of an initial tread to the "next tread."
Mr. Jaboor pointed out that Next-Tred denotes a change in image for the benefit of name recognition among fleets and not a technological change with the system itself.
"As recently as a couple years ago, some very large industry customers have said, `We didn´t realize Goodyear was in the retreading business,´|" Mr. Jaboor said. "So, what we´re trying to do is fly our flag and let people know we´re there and come out with a name that supports that."
Any Goodyear dealer can retread with Next-Tred or just sell treads produced from the system, but Next-Tred is a requirement for all Truckwise dealers, Mr. Jaboor said.
Currently, Goodyear has almost 500 Truckwise dealers and 167 medium truck tire retreading centers in the U.S. and Canada. The Next-Tred centers offer both precure and mold cure retreads and are the sole providers of Goodyear´s Uni-Circle retreads.