Petlas to open U.S. sales office

KIRSEHIR, Turkey (Oct. 28, 2015) — Turkey's Petlas Tire Industry and Trade Co. is planning to establish a U.S. sales subsidiary, Petlas Tire USA L.L.C., to facilitate improved relations between U.S. customers and Petlas and customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Sinan Evcan, country sales manager, will be in charge of the U.S. company, which plans to set up an office in Akron.

Petlas, known principally in North America for its range of agricultural tires, will also be offering the company's passenger, truck, trailer, OTR and industrial tires, Mr. Evcan said, in both the Petlas and associated Starmaxx brands.

“Being in the North American market for more than eight years, we have come to see that customers want their needs and concerns to be listened more closely,” Mr. Evcan said, explaining the company's rationale for this move.

The U.S. firm will not be involved directly in warehousing in North America, he said, but will be involved in handling import formalities on behalf of customers.

Petlas is considered the world's No. 55 tire maker with $360 million in fiscal 2014 sales.

The company has gone to market in the U.S. in the past through a number of independent distributors.