ASTORIA, N.Y.—American Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd. has appointed Max Finkelstein Inc. (MFI) as its exclusive car, light truck and specialty trailer tire distributor for the Northeast, covering Maryland to Maine.
As the designated Kenda distributor, Finkelstein will administer the Kenda Traction Associate Dealer Program to its dealer network. Kenda Traction, launched late last year, offers cash and co-op perks to those dealers who meet quarterly unit quotas purchased from an authorized Kenda distributor.
“We are confident that partnering with Kenda will add great value for Max Finkelstein's loyal customer base,” said Matt Lewis, director of program sales and strategic accounts for Astoria-based Max Finkelstein.
Kenda said it previously serviced “hundreds of customers” in the Northeast through Summit Tire/Terry's Tire Town prior to that dealership being acquired by American Tire Distributors Holdings Inc.
Brandon Stotsenburg, Kenda's director of business development, called Max Finkelstein the “top servicing distributor in the northeastern U.S.,” and said the distributor has a “great history of partnering with its retailers and will be able to maximize the unique value which Kenda offers in passenger, light truck and specialty products.”
The new business partners did not disclose any financial details of the deal.
Kenda said it has exclusive distribution partners in other parts of the country as well, and also has other distributors in the Northeast for its other divisions—motorcycle tires, ATV tires, etc.
Family-owned and -operated Max Finkelstein serves customers in a 12-state area through a dozen distribution centers that total more than 1.2 million square feet of warehouse space.
MFI maintains a fleet of 150 trucks dedicated to daily deliveries to 5,000-plus customers.
Other tire producer dealer programs that MFI administers are: Goodyear G3X; Pirelli FasTrack; Pirelli National Accounts; and Kumho Premium Fuel.
Columbus, Ohio-based American Kenda is a subsidiary of Taiwan's Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd., considered the No. 28 tire maker worldwide with $1.06 billion in sales in 2013.
Kenda's sales were expected to hit $1.2 billion last year and grow to $2 billion by 2019/2020, Kenda Rubber President and Vice Chairman Jimmy Yang said last year.