Industry, association executives to address TIA OTR gathering

BOWIE, Md. (Jan. 18, 2016) — Top executives from Bridgestone Corp. and Alliance Tire Americas, together with representatives of the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada and the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), will make presentations at this year's TIA OTR Conference, Feb. 16-18 in Oahu, Hawaii.

Taylor Cole, Bridgestone's president of commercial solutions for mining, will deliver a "manufacturer keynote" during the Feb. 17 morning session. His address, detailing the nature of change in the industry, will focus on the speed of change.

Bruce Besancon, vice president marketing for Alliance Tire Americas, will lead off the Friday morning session with a presentation on growth opportunities in the small OTR tire market. With the soft mining industry, the best place for growth is the construction and aggregate industries.

Michael W. Johnson, president and CEO of the NSSGA, will follow with a presentation on infrastructure, the economy and quarrying. The trade group represents 90 percent of the crushed stone and 70 percent of the sand and gravel production in the U.S.

The event's motivational speaker, Vietnam veteran and former NFL running back Rocky Bleier, will conclude the Friday morning conference program with this message of how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers.

The conference, being held at Turtle Bay Resort in Oahu, kicks off the afternoon of the Feb. 15 with a discussion of how the 2016 Presidential Election is going to impact highway funding over the next four years. Led by TIA Executive Vice President Roy Littlefield, the discussion will emphasize the effect on OTR tire demand.

John Sheerin from the Rubber Manufacturers Association and TIA scrap tire expert Dick Gust will make presentations on managing end-of-life OTR tires, with emphasis on the ways the tire industry can use the raw materials in an OTR tire after it is scrapped.

Speakers yet-to-be named will discuss developments in OTR service trucks. Among the topics to be covered will be maximizing the investment in these key pieces of equipment.

A presentation on tire-optimizing maintenance will conclude the opening day's conference, followed by the Kick-Off Gathering, featuring tabletop displays from the supplier sponsors, scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m.

The conference will reconvene on the morning of the 16th, starting with a U.S. OTR industry forecast by Kevin Rohlwing, senior vice president of training, that is expected to address the three key markets: construction, aggregate, mining.

Glenn Maidment, president of TRAC, will follow with his outlook on the Canadian market.

The Thursday business session will conclude with a pair of panel discussions, one comprising OTR retreaders, the other OTR tire makers.

The panel of as-yet undisclosed OTR retreaders will discuss the state of the industry and update attendees on their plans over the coming year, along with addressing the issue of OTR casing retreadability.

The tire manufacturers' panel will feature a number of top executives speaking on the latest developments in OTR tire manufacturing and technology