What kind of shifts in dealer ordering behavior have you seen this year?
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed the benefit of having a diverse product screen within TBC Brands, giving dealers options across product segments and value positions. Dealers continue to seek an exclusive, high quality product with top-tier performance all while offering enhanced profitability.
We have noticed strong industry participants using the opportunity to take market share, resulting in many of our dealers expanding their product screen to grow new business opportunities and increase their market share.
How do consumer tire orders compare with last year?
The USTMA showed an increase over forecasted projections versus last year, indicating increased demand. This rebound continues to trend upwards.
How do commercial tire orders compare with last year?
Overall, the commercial truck tire market has remained steady with strong demand on Tier 3 and 4 brands.
What types of product shortages have you experienced this year?
We are working closely with our suppliers, manufacturers and our supply-chain partners to mitigate any associated impacts. Product supply remains a key focus area to ensure our dealers receive the product that they need in a timely manner, providing them the opportunity to remain competitive and grow in the marketplace.
What changes did you make to tackle the pandemic?
According to TBC: While COVID-19 has impacted us all over the last year, we have remained steadfast in our customer-first approach taking additional actions and precautions to keep all team members and customers safe and ensure they feel comfortable with and are confident in our established business continuity initiatives. The TBC team truly prioritized the health, safety and well-being of team members, customers and our surrounding communities.
Throughout the pandemic, we implemented many procedures and additional precautions to ensure safety, reduce contact between individuals, and assist with social distancing, including:
- Instituting multiple task forces focused on individual business units, as well as, greater TBC to provide updates, share findings and implement best practices across different areas of the business.
- Establishing a cadence of virtual meetings and calls to connect associates and ensure all business continuity initiatives are functioning as planned and all team members are safe.
- Mobilizing our customer service and sales team members in varying geographical locations to ensure we are available to support all business needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged all of us to take an introspective look and helped us focus on what is important. It is our learnings from facing this unprecedented environment coupled with the strength of all team members that provides us with the greatest opportunity of all — the ongoing growth of our relationships.
What do you see as your biggest challenge for the second half of the year?
The global logistics issues due to COVID will continue to challenge the market, especially on import tires.
We are working closely with our suppliers, manufacturers and our supply chain partners to mitigate any associated impacts. Despite this obstacle within the industry, our goal is to provide multiple value-priced options with good fill rates assisting customers in growing their businesses and ultimately exceeding customer expectations.
How do you expect 2021 sales will compare with 2020? With 2019?
Recent 2021 vehicle miles traveled expectations show a dramatic improvement over 2020, but are still below 2019 baseline levels as the pandemic continues to linger. We're optimistic about the opportunities ahead.
