Don’t compromise tire safety: official
For the whole month, Goodyear stores will be willing to do 10-point safety check for those who will be going on long drives, regardless of the tires they are using
OUT of all parts of a car, non-experts tend to neglect tires the most. Selling tires, therefore, is one big challenge, says Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.’s newly appointed managing director for the Philippines and distributor markets Ron Castro.
The toughest part for him is to convince car users to get their pricier tires, with many cheaper brands and surplus tires available in the market.
His main argument, though, is enough to keep them on the lead in the Philippines, as third party surveys show Goodyear is the most well-known tire brand in the country and that majority of those who replaced their tires last year bought Goodyear tires.
For Castro, those who value safety opt to buy their tires over cheaper or surplus brands.
“The message we should give out there is not to compromise safety because your life depends on those four patches of rubber touching the ground,” Castro told Sun.Star Cebu.
Castro has direct responsibility for the Philippines business and oversight on the strategy and development of programs for Taiwan, Vietnam and Hong Kong. He has been with Goodyear since 2005 as director for communications for Asia Pacific.
Castro believes consumers tend to trust the quality of Goodyear because it is a reputable brand that has proven it conforms to global standards.
He believes the best way to bring in more consumers is to educate them on road safety and let them know how crucial tires are when it comes to this. “Those grooves on the tires are not just there to make it look pretty,” he said, adding that a lot of the grooves are engineered to make sure the tires maintain a good grip in different road conditions.
For the whole month, Castro said Goodyear stores will be willing to do the 10-point safety check for those who will be going on long drives, regardless of the tires they are using.
He also wants to make a program called Women With Drive, a road safety class, more regular. The road safety class is aimed at educating women drivers and letting them know the basic things about maintaining the car so they will understand what their mechanics are telling them when they bring in their vehicles for repair or maintenance.
Held at Goodyear stores, Castro said the class is engaging because participants don’t just sit in a classroom and listen to a lecture. They are shown actual car parts and get a demonstration on how these parts function. He added that sometimes, they bring their children who are old enough to drive and even their husbands.
They are also set to launch their line specifically for SUVs, saying they have sizes for all the top-selling SUVs available in the country.
He said that aside from the safety features, there is a noticeable difference in terms of comfort and quiet.
He was also proud to talk about their Duraplus line, their long-mileage tire, which can run up to 100,000 kilometers on good roads.
Castro said they would not have done so well over the years without the help of their partners, such as EBR-SN Tire Sales, Macrotires, Wheelmasters and Aldo Service Center in Cebu.