U.S. maker Titan 'well-positioned' for Trump tariffs

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. — Amid the noise and confusion surrounding the impact of President Donald Trump's series of import-tariff declarations, Titan International Inc. is reminding customers and investors that its domestic manufacturing assets make it "well-positioned to meet our customers' needs while supporting American jobs and economic growth."

Titan has five U.S. tire plants — in Des Moines, Iowa; Freeport, Ill.; Bryan, Ohio; and Clinton and Jackson, Tenn. — producing farm, off-highway and industrial tires. Titan stresses that it has the "strongest capability" among its competitors "to serve our customers better in times of significant uncertainty and volatility."

Trump's reciprocal tariffs, which apply to the types of products Titan produces and sells, are set at 10% for the next 90 days. Or, they could be raised pending Trump administration talks with representatives of the 75 or so nations targeted by the reciprocal tariffs.

Titan, which bought farm, industrial and recreational-sports tire producer Carlstar Group in February 2024, generated 55% of its $1.8 billion in fiscal 2024 sales revenue from business in North America, or $990 million.

"It is an important time in American history as trade policy has the potential to reshape global economics and geopolitical relationships," David Martin, senior vice president and CFO, stated, noting that Titan has a long history of being a domestic manufacturer of off-road tires, wheels and tracks, supplying critical products to OEMS and end-users through the company's "pre-eminent distribution network."

"We have fought for years against foreign competition, with lower barriers from tariffs, and we have continued to prevail due to our strengths," Martin said. "In this new environment, our capabilities should shine brighter."

Founded in 1890 as the Electric Wheel Co. in Quincy, Ill., the business was acquired by Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. in 1957 and was part of Firestone until 1982 when its operations were idled.

In 1983, Canadian industrialist Joseph Tanenbaum and Maurice Taylor Jr. (current Titan chairman and CEO), acquired some of the business' assets and established Can-Am Industries.

In 1986, Can-Am bought certain agricultural wheel-making assets from Goodyear and, two years later, similar assets from Fuehuaf Corp.'s French & Hecht subsidiary.

The company adopted the name Titan Wheel International in 1990 and went public in 1993 and branched into tire manufacturing through the acquisition of Dyneer Corp. and certain farm tire assets from Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corp.

In 2005, Titan bought Goodyear's North American farm tire assets, including a factory in Freeport, Ill., and a year later acquired Continental Tire North America's OTR tire assets, including a plant in Bryan, Ohio.
In 2011, Titan acquired Goodyear's Latin American farm tire business in Brazil, including a plant in Sao Paulo, and two years later bought into Russian tire maker Voltyre-Prom.