Zafco adding passenger, LT lines to Armstrong brand

LAS VEGAS — Internationally active tire distributor Zafco International is adding passenger and light truck tires to the Amstrong brand it resurrected two years ago with a range of radial truck and bus tires.

The launch covers a pair of "Blu-Trac" passenger and three "Tru-Trac" light truck tires, the company disclosed at the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show (SEMA) in Las Vegas.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based Zafco acquired the global rights to the Armstrong brand in 2012 from Pirelli Tyre S.p.A., which had owned it since buying Armstrong Rubber Co. in 1988.

Armstrong Tire Co., a Miami-based sales subsidiary of Zafco, is handling the launch, which will be concentrated initially in North America but which will extend to Europe as well, according to Carl Casalbore, who's been heading up the Miami company since 2015.

The brand is being launched as "Tier 2 ½" product, Mr. Casalbore said, indicating the range will be priced between Tier 2 and 3 products but will offer quality comparable to higher range products.

The tires are being manufactured by Otani Tire Co. Ltd. in Thailand, in which Zafco holds an undisclosed "major" ownership stake. Otani also makes the Armstrong truck/bus tire lines.

Zafco/Armstrong is offering 45,000 to 85,000-mile limited treadwear warranties on the passenger lines, he said, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The first shipments of the new lines are in transit now to a select few customers who helped Armstrong evaluate the tires' performance pre-launch, Mr. Casalbore said. The company continues to evaluate additional retail customers to build the distribution footprint.

Initially, the launch will be by container-load shipments only, he said, but the goal is to establish sufficient warehousing capacity throughout the U.S. to allow Zafco/Armstrong to handle distribution from those points.

The company has one warehouse distribution center now, in Miami, and plans to open a second in Pennsylvania before year-end, he added, and then open more across the country as demand ramps up.

The lines are:

• Blue-Trac PC, with 59 SKUs in 14-, 15- and 16-inch rim diameters;
• Blue-Trac HP, with 38 SKUs in 14-, 15-, 16- and 17-inch rim diameters;
• Tru-Trac SU, with 12 SKUs in 18-, 19- and 20-inch rim diameters;
• Tru-Trac HT, with 11 SKUs in 15-, 16- and 17-inch rim diameters; and
• Tru-Trac AT, with 16 SKUs in 15-, 16- and 17-inch rim diameters.

Zafco/Armstrong is relaunching the brand with a "Ride with the Rhino" tagline, a reference to the rhinoceros mascot that's been the brand's identity for decades. The company promoted the brand launch at SEMA with a stuffed plush "Tuffy" rhino toy.

Zafco Trading is an international trading house, dealing in tires, batteries and lubricants, distributing to customers on six continents. In North America the company distributes its own Zeetex brand along with the Accelera and Forceum brands owned by Indonesia's P.T. Elangperdana Tyre Industry, in which it also has an ownership stake.

Zafco also is adding an all-weather tire to its Zeetex-brand portfolio, the ZT 4000 4S.