ATLANTA — TireHub L.L.C., the Bridgestone Americas/Goodyear tire distribution joint venture, has upgraded its ordering portal and is adopting a range of other new technologies to help customers adapt to the evolving marketplace.
One of the entity's initiatives is a partnership with ToolsGroup B.V., a Dutch developer of "service-driven" supply-chain planning software, to offer customers demand-forecasting and automated inventory processes.
Other initiatives include:
- Adding QuickPay, an invoicing and payment platform that TireHub claims makes it convenient for customers to access and pay invoices online.
- Enhancing the TireHub Now ordering portal to meet dealers' requests.
"While we began our third year in the middle of a global pandemic, we still closed 2020 with significant gains versus the industry, which was down in total," TireHub CEO Peter Gibbons said, adding that the company set volume records in the past six months that exceed pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
"The wins we achieved in the last 365 days set the tone for TireHub's fourth year. We will continue to transform, better serving our customers and creating positive experiences for all," he said, without disclosing sales or shipment volumes.
Ted Becker, hired in August 2020 as vice president of sales, added:
"Challenges posed by the pandemic provided opportunities for new and better ways of conducting business and serving customers. We've adapted our sales approach to better match our customers' needs, redefined our structure to put our sales leadership and teams closer to our customers, created specialized field roles to provide dedicated support, and insourced our customer service organization to better connect customers with tire experts.
As TireHub starts its fourth year in business, it intends to keep building capabilities to provide service that exceeds customer expectations and help customers grow their businesses, he added.
Among improvements to the firm's physical assets, TireHub opened distribution centers (D/Cs) in five new markets — Lakeville, Ind.; Fort Myers and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Columbia, S.C.; and Suffolk, Va.
It also relocated D/Cs in nine existing markets — Mobile, Ala.; Sacramento and San Diego, Calif.; Baton Rouge, La.; Las Vegas; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Arlington, Austin and Houston, Texas — to larger/better facilities to meet customer demands more effectively.
The company plans to open or relocate five more D/Cs this year, including moving one of its Atlanta facilities across town in August. The company now operates 71 D/Cs in 35 states across the U.S.
TireHub credits much of its recovery during the economic downturn to its commitment to culture, exemplified by employees' dedication to maintaining positive relationships and generating "collaborative energy."
"We believe our culture of transparency and support has helped employees stay safe and feel more connected to one other," Nikki Roberson, director of culture and communications. "Our third year, set in an unprecedented period, was fraught with tension during a time we were all separated. Supporting each other was critical to our success and the reason we're in a great position to enter our fourth year."
