Another remarkable year in The Book

As I reflect on 2023 as it pertains to the tire industry — with half of December still to come — it's been a remarkable year.

It's the same term I used to describe 2022 in this very space, but the meaning is very different.

Whereas 2022 was remarkable for all of its positive news — not the least of which was the return to full-time travel and profits galore for most of those in the industry — 2023 was remarkable for the number of rollercoaster events.

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One would be hard-pressed to find any industry observer who couldn't predict what happened at the start of 2023: The glut of product.

Coming out of the pandemic, it was inevitable that tire makers would catch up to pandemic-induced ordering binges. When product finally began to arrive at wholesalers and distributors in late 2022, there simply was too much of it and not enough consumer demand to keep it flowing off the racks early last year.

That was the recurring theme of the first half of the year.

That problem seemed to sort itself out — at least to a certain degree — in the second half of the year, as demand began to catch up to supply. Still, among passenger tires, light truck tires and medium truck/bus tires, only passenger tires experienced growth (up 0.2%) in 2023, according to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association.

The second half of the year was remarkable for all of the industry news, from Elliot Investment's saber-rattling letter to Goodyear, to Mavis Tire Express' purchase of nearly 600 TBC Corp. retail locations, to the wholesale acquisitions that keep consolidating that sector.

So as we celebrate all that's remarkable about this industry, we bring to you the fourth version of The Book, our annual compilation of some of the best work we presented to our audience over the last 12 months.

This issue, organized and designed by Managing Editor David Manley and Design Editor Michael McCrady, is our gift to you, a one-stop reference guide to all of our most popular data and stories.

Inside, you will find, among myriad other statistics, our rankings of North America's largest independent tire dealers and largest retreaders; our comprehensive list of 2023's mergers and acquisitions; and a look at some of the notable executive promotions, as well as industry deaths.

In addition, we bring to you our exclusive Global Tire Report, a list of the top 75 tire makers ranked by global sales.

And we also include the list of every tire plant in the world, a list that will change based on pending plant closures announced by Group Micheli— and Goodyear and the divestiture of Russian assets by Bridgestone Corp., Michelin and Nokian Tyres.

We also are reprinting the stories on our 2023 Tire Business Tire Dealer Humanitarian Medal winner, Bob Dunlap, president and chair of Dunlap & Kyle Co. in Batesville, Miss.

"Mr. Bob" as he is known, recently turned 94, and he continues to give back to his community in ways big and small.

Talk about a remarkable man.

Inside, we also revisit the winner and three finalists of our Best Places to Work survey.

The 2023 winner (Monteith's Best-One Tire & Auto Care, Elkhart, Ind.) and two of the three finalists were Best-One franchises: Best-One Tire of Indy, headquartered in Indianapolis; Dorsey Tire, headquartered in Savannah, Ga.; and McMahon's Best-One Tire & Auto, based in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Let's take this opportunity to kick off our Best Places to Work survey for a fifth straight year, recognizing the best employers the tire and automotive service industries have to offer.

Tire Business, in conjunction with Workforce Research Group — an independent research firm specializing in identifying and recognizing great places to work — is seeking the best employers in our industry.

The rules for the survey are simple. In order to participate, a business must:

• Be a retail, commercial, OTR, retread or wholesale tire dealership in the U.S. (publicly or privately held);

• Have a minimum of 15 full- or part-time permanent employees working in the U.S.; and

• Be in business a minimum of one year.

Among companies eligible are online tire businesses (such as Simple Tire, Tire Rack, etc.); franchised tire businesses (such as individual Tire Pros, Big O Tires, etc. franchisees); mass merchandisers with tire stores (such as Walmart Tire & Lube Express, etc.; individual stores not eligible); and wholesale clubs that sell tires (such as BJ's or Costco.)

Not eligible are tire importers; tire manufacturer-owned retail or commercial tire stores; private-brand tire companies; and aftermarket businesses that do not sell tires.

The survey can be accessed at: tbbestplacestowork.com. The deadline to register is March 15. The survey is free to enter. Those dealerships that enter and do not place will remain anonymous.

Tire Business will publish the list of 2023 finalists in July. We encourage you to enter. We know you are proud of your work, just as we are here at Tire Business, keeping you on top of the latest news and data in the tire industry.

Our entire staff contributes to the success of our publication. We traverse the globe to bring you the latest news and information.

My 2023 schedule alone included 16 work-related trips that took me to four countries and two U.S. territories, traveling roughly 450,000 miles.

Thanks not only go to David Manley and Michael McCrady, but also to Special Projects Reporter Bruce Davis; Senior Reporter Kathy McCarron and Digital Editor Jessica Holbrook.

And while I have the floor, I would be remiss without thanking our Global Polymer Group bosses, Chris Taylor and Don Loepp, for their support, as well as our awesome sales team, led by John Hickey and Christine Zernick.

Without their dedication, we wouldn't be able to produce this signature edition of Tire Business.

We hope you enjoy this issue as much as we do in presenting this to you.

We wish you a remarkable — as well as healthy, happy and safe — holiday season.

We look forward to continuing to serve you in 2024.