ALLEN PARK, Mich. (Jan. 13, 2010) — Michigan's Belle Tire Distributors Inc. and Illinois' Tredroc Tire Services have formed a 50-50 joint venture, Belleroc Tire Services, to service the commercial tire sector in western and northern Michigan.
The partnership will allow the two firms to “synergize and shore up” their businesses in truck, earthmover and industrial tires and service in the targeted areas and expand their product offerings, which include their Bandag retread portfolios and fleet analysis/management.
The venture, created last October, brings together Belle's commercial tire outlet in Grand Rapids, Mich., with Tredroc's in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Grand Rapids and Tredroc's retread plant in Wyoming, Belle Tire Vice President Tom Bowman said. The partnership will draw on Belle's commercial tire expertise and allow the Allen Park-based dealership to expand its presence in the OTR sector, he added.
Belleroc has 75 employees. Mr. Bowman declined to quantify the venture's sales potential.
Belle Tire derives about a third of its annual revenue from commercial-related activities. It maintains seven other outlets in Michigan and Ohio with commercial servicing capability and two Bandag retread plants.
Antioch, Ill.-based Tredroc was formed in October 2007 in a merger of commercial and OTR tire distributor Antioch Tire Inc. and Chicago Bandag Inc./CBA Tire.
The name Tredroc derives from the companies' respective strengths, the “Tred” coming from Chicago Bandag's heritage as a retreader and “roc” referring to Antioch's three decades as an OTR tire specialist.