A Century Of Innovation For General Tire
On September 29th, 1915, William F. O’Neil and Winfred E. Fouse partnered up to establish the General Tire and Rubber Company. They wanted to provide the young automotive and transport industries with robust and durable tires that would stand up to the awful road conditions of the time.
Despite having more than 300 competitors in that market segment, the brand set up business in the Akron, Ohio region and started producing replacement tires that were of better quality than the ones that equipped vehicles rolling off the assembly line.
Afterwards, General Tire and Rubber Company developed many new products, such as low-pressure tires for trucks – working at pressures of less than 12 psi – as well as the first truck mudguards. Their success was so great that General’s tires equipped certain new vehicles, including International Harvester’s trucks starting in 1934.
Participating in the war
In 1939, World War II broke out. After the United States got involved in the conflict, General Tire built a second plant – the industry's most technologically advanced at the time – in November of 1944 in order to satisfy the growing need for military truck tires.
After the war, General Motors asked the company to provide them with passenger car tires. For the first time, the General Tire name could be read on the sidewall of a brand-new car. General Tire then built several manufacturing plants across the United States, and even inaugurated a track in Uvalde, Texas in order to test their products and new technologies.
In 1984, General Tire’s related activities were so diversified that a separate entity had to be created to supervise the various branches of the company. Those included industrial plastic manufacturing, chemical product refining, production companies, hotels, an airline and even activities in aerospace and military industries. That’s when GenCorp was established.
General Tire lands in the hands of the enemy
Three years later, GenCorp sold the tire manufacturing division – General Tire – to Continental, one of its main competitors. This new association obviously opened up new opportunities, but many predicted that General Tire would lose its identity.
That didn’t happen. In 2005, the brand introduced its first high-performance tire, the Exclaim UHP. Afterwards, two other major products, the Grabber UHP and Grabber HP truck and SUV tires, further strengthened General Tire’s product line.
In 2007, the AltiMAX Arctic appeared. It was the brand’s first tire designed specifically for winter use, and other models followed soon after. The year 2008 marked their return to off-road racing with its Grabber model, and General Tire claimed many titles, both on the podium and in motorsports publications.
Today, General Tire is in the best shape it has even been: the brand just celebrated its 100th anniversary at an event in Las Vegas, which we attended along with the company’s sales team and retailers. They currently sell tires in 98 countries and manage 26 manufacturing plants around the globe. Its product range now includes 12 different tires for cars, trucks and SUVs. One of their sponsored drivers, Carl Renezeder, actively collaborates in the development of Grabber tires, his off-road experience helping to improve the tires sold to consumers.
The future looks bright
General Tire is about to launch two new products: a truck tire for urban SUVs and a variant of the Grabber tire that’s specifically designed to perform in muddy terrain. The brand is also seeking to expand its business in various markets, including Canada.
Very few companies can brag about being in the business for more than a century. In General Tire’s case, judging by the enthusiasm of the people attending the celebration in Vegas, the brand will continue to thrive for years to come.