Kal Tire acquires Klinge tire services
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Kal Tire has been operating in Western Australia for approximately six years and it has long been a goal of the organization to expand to Eastern Australia where the majority of major mines operate.
“Even though our reputation is strong and recognized in many countries, it has been a challenge convincing customers of our credibility inside of Australia as our experience there has been limited,” says Dan Allan, senior vice president, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “With Klinge, Kal Tire aligns with a well-respected, trusted company known to the Australian mining industry and secures our presence as a national tire service provider.”
Klinge & Co., co-owned by Tom and Dianne Klinge, is very similar to Kal Tire, which is also a family-owned organization started by Tom Foord in 1953 in Western Canada.
“Kal Tire and the Klinge tire services business is a strong comfortable fit for Dianne and I,” says Tom Klinge, co-owner, Klinge & Co. “We share many of the same values and objectives, in particular when it comes to looking after customers and team members. And after much heart-felt thinking, we feel it is time to focus on the Klinge software business going forward.”
Klinge & Co. will be a software company going forward focused on tire management systems, training and tools. They have a proven tire management tool called ‘TotalTyreControl’, which has become an industry standard for tire management software. Klinge will continue to develop its software business in Australia and provide software training in other parts of the world.
“We are excited to welcome Klinge’s 200 skilled personnel to the Kal Tire family,” says Robert Foord, president, Kal Tire. “They bring invaluable experience with Australian miners. We’ve known Tom and Dianne Klinge for many years and we share the same commitment when it comes to how we think about our people and about our customers.”
Kal Tire also believes that every team member is the key to their success and extensive training and learning opportunities are provided. Their online Learning Management System contains both the international training standards set by the Tire Industry Association (TIA) as well as the company’s collective experience from 45 years of operations around the world.
“Kal Tire will now be working with some of the best tire people we’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with,” says Tom Klinge. “I know Kal Tire will embrace our team members and take care of them the same way we did.”
“This is an important milestone for our organization,” says Allan. “With Klinge, Kal Tire aligns itself with a trusted, service oriented company, well established with Australian mining customers. It provides us with that missing piece of a proven performer on customer sites.
“We look forward to providing current Klinge customers with the same high standards they are used to, and introducing them to additional capabilities we can offer.”
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