A Vernon company has increased its presence Down Under.
Kal Tire, which provides mining tire management and supply, has acquired the tire services business of Klinge and Company in Australia.
Kal Tire has been operating in western Australia for about six years and it has long been a goal to expand to eastern Australia where the majority of major mines operate on the continent.
“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,” said Dan Allan, senior vice president of 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 is very similar to Kal Tire, which is also a family-owned organization started by Tom Foord in 1953 in Vernon.
“Kal Tire and the Klinge tire services business is a strong comfortable fit for Dianne and I,” said Tom Klinge, co-owner of Klinge and Company with his wife.
“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 and Company will be a software company going forward, focused on tire management systems, training, and tools.
Kal Tire began the move east in Australia when it recently established itself in the area of Muswellbrook, New South Wales, with the opening of a new mining tire repair facility.
Kal Tire will now be able to offer this repair service, including its Ultra Repair technology and a number of other value-added offerings, to Klinge’s customers.
“We are excited to welcome Klinge’s 200 skilled personnel to the Kal Tire family,” said Robert Foord, Kal Tire’s president.
“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.”
As part of operations, Kal Tire provides training and learning opportunities to its employees.
Its 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.
The TIA recognized Tom Klinge in 2015 for his contributions and the impact he has had on the industry. The training material he developed and provided to the TIA, remains a part of Kal Tire’s training portfolio.
“Kal Tire will now be working with some of the best tire people we’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with,” said Klinge.
“I know Kal Tire will embrace our team members and take care of them the same way we did.”
