Tire Business staff
BROOKLYN, N.Y.—International tire distributor Leviathan Corp. is initiating service to dealers in the U.S. and has created a website, www.otrusa.com, to introduce its range of OTR tires to U.S. customers.
Otrusa.com has tires in stock at 12 warehouses throughout the U.S., according to Brian Cohn, founder of Leviathan, the Brooklyn-based company that's been distributing internationally since 1999.
To help jumpstart the business, Leviathan has struck an exclusive distribution deal with South Korea's Hung-A Co. Ltd. to handle Hung-A's Tiron bias-ply OTR tire brand. In addition, the company created the Grünload brand of precure retreaded OTR radials, sourced from Germany's Roesler Group using only Michelin XLDD2 casings in two sizes initially—45/65R39 and 45/65R45.
Mobile crane tire sizes 385/95R25 and 445/95R25 are sold under the Deutsch Crane brand.
Leviathan describes Tiron as a line of “cost-saving” price-point tires for underground mining, port service and earthmoving applications.
Other brands offered on otrusa.com include mostly bias-ply offerings, such as Apollo, Birla, Ceat, Hilo, JK Tyre, Specialty/STA, Titan and Triangle, as well as Leviathan's own Off Road Tough and Off Road Heavy Duty bias OTR tires, sourced from various manufacturers in China.
Leviathan has personnel stationed in China to evaluate and select manufacturing supply partners, Mr. Cohn said.
The distributor also has secured a deal for the Americas for the Las Zirh line of tire protection chains, produced in Turkey, in sizes ranging from 10-16.5 to 70/70-57 and gauges X12-X22 in square, hexagon and deca designs for underground, quarry, slag and earthmoving applications.
Leviathan's website has OTR tires in stock in sizes ranging from 25- through 57-inch rim diameters as skidsteer and industrial sizes.
The company's strategy is to use its widespread distribution resources to serve smaller dealerships and/or those needing orders smaller than container loads, Mr. Cohn said, as well as provide significantly shorter delivery times.
“We don't want to be seen as just another broker of tires,” he said, noting the company will be adding several information features—such as a protective chain selector/cost-savings calculator as well as a ton-kilometer per hour calculator to optimize tire purchase choices for dealers and end-users alike—in the coming months.
The company also is an authorized export dealer for Goodyear OTR tires, covering foreign mining and construction operations in developing markets not covered in existing Goodyear distribution channels.
Leviathan reported sales last year of $48.8 million.