Chinese tire manufacturer Double Coin and its North American marketing branch CMA recently discussed several aspects of its current business plan and debuted a wide range of new truck tires at its distribution center in Memphis, Tenn.
The Shanghai-based tire manufacturer has been doing business in North American since 1992, primarily as a Tier 3 product supplier. But according to CMA President Mike Yang and Vice President Aaron Murphy, the company gradually will expand its product lines into Tier 2 and Tier 1 market segments in the future. The key, according to Murphy, is to offer quality tires at Tier 3 prices, gradually gaining the reputation and product awareness that eventually will allow Double Coin to compete with established Tier 1 tire suppliers.
To that end, the company showcased six new truck tires, including the fuel-efficient FR605 steer, FD405 drive and FT105 trailer tires. According to Murphy, each tire is an “ultra-premium” model, developed from scratch to be U.S. Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay-certified – although that certification process is not complete yet. In keeping with Double Coin’s stated mission of offering quality and efficiency, Murphy noted that internal testing indicated the FT105 trailer tire was logging 3 percent better fuel economy than the tire it replaces due to the use of advanced tread components and a robust internal design that allows for lower rolling resistance and more wear resistance.
Other new Double Coin tires introduced in Memphis included the RR680 all-position steer tire and the RT600 low-profile all-position steer tire. Both are designed for regional haul and pickup-and-delivery applications and feature a five-rib design complemented by wide shoulders to resist punctures and tears and provide a lifetime of even wear – including sidewall protection on the RT600 to protect against curb damage.
Additionally, the Double Coin RR202 is another new five-rib highway tire designed for vocational applications such as waste-hauling. It features a tough, durable casing designed to provide both long original life and multiple retreads and can handle payloads up to 10,000 pounds.
Double Coin rounded out its new product showcase by highlighting a move into more severe markets with the REM-11 3700R57 tire for severe mining operations on rigid-frame and articulating off-highway dump trucks.
