Ascenso Tires North America Enters Next Growth Phase

With a new name, a new distribution center and new products,
Ascenso Tires North America
(ATNA) – previously known as Tyres
International – is ready for its next phase
of growth under the ownership of Mahansaria Tyres Private Ltd. (MTPL).

MTPL – which is headquartered in
Mumbai, India, and owned by off-highway
industry veteran Yogesh Mahansaria –   acquired majority stake in Tyres International in 2021.
Longtime Tyres International owner
Marty Bezbatchenko controls the rest of
ATNA’s shares. (Marty and his son, Mike,
run the company.)

MPTL wanted a more extensive presence in North America as part of a bigger
initiative to broaden its reach.
With the 2021 acquisition, Tyres International became the exclusive distributor
of Ascenso-brand ag, OTR and material
handling tires in the United States.

At the time of the deal, Tyres International had two distribution centers – one
in Stow, Ohio, and another near Reno, Nev.
The latter facility was expanded to 70,000
square feet in 2022.

Six months ago, Tyres International
opened a third distribution center – a
75,000-square-foot facility in Dublin, Ga.,
which is near the Port of Savannah.
“We needed it because we had maxed out
in warehouse capacity,” says Mahansaria.
“When we looked at our ability to service customers, we also felt we needed to
strengthen our presence in the Southeast.

“One of the reasons we have significantly
expanded our distribution in the U.S. is our
ability to offer fast turnarounds. We follow
a build-to-stock model” that’s enabled by
significant warehousing capabilities in India.

MPTL’s factory – whose start-up represented a $100 million investment – is
located in Gujarat, India.
It has the capacity to produce one million
tires per year and recently completed its
first expansion phase.

“We’ve added capacity (at the plant)
quarter by quarter,” says Mahansaria.
“And it’s certainly our plan to enhance
our production capacity over the coming
years, given the extremely positive response
we’ve received for our products.”

MTPL, through its ATNA subsidiary,
“has built out a full line of Ascenso-brand
bias and radial ag tires,” as well as industrial and construction tires, according to
Mahansaria.
“We are continuously expanding our
product range. We bring to market every
month between 15 and 20 new SKUs. In a
short period of time – less than two-and-a-half years — we have developed a product
portfolio of 500 SKUs.”

Bezbatchenko says the pace of ATNA’s
product rollouts “has been very quick.
We’re working with customers on new sizes
and tread patterns, while at the same time,
keeping quality levels high.”

ATNA will widen its product offering
in 2023. “We hope to bring to market at
least 200 to 250 new SKUs a year – not just
mainline tires, but all the niches required
by the U.S. market,” including a new line
of tires for forestry industry applications,
notes Mahansaria.

Pursuing original equipment fitments
also will be a priority.
“Our first focus was getting established
in the replacement market with established
distribution,” says Mahansaria. “Now that
we’ve had success, we’re making a significant
push with original equipment manufacturers,
both in the U.S. and around the world.”

ATNA also is investing in its sales force.
The company added “several experienced
and well-respected team members” during 2022, which “has allowed us to spend
more time with customers and develop
deeper relationships with them,” notes
Bezbatchenko.

“And we’ll be looking at bringing on
more personnel. We have some holes we
want to fill and want to get more boots on
the ground.

“I also think in 2023 that we’ll be more
visible at trade shows and working with our
dealers at local shows. We’re also putting in
new software that will allow customers to
order online and see their orders.”
Regarding additional warehouses, “we
are considering expansion, keeping in mind
long-term demand trends.”

 “I think if you want to be a real player in
this market and a trusted partner to customers, you have to raise the bar continuously,”
says Mahansaria.
“You have to be able to support your
customers with local inventory and sales
support.
That’s the reason we partnered with
Marty and Tyres International and it has
really played out the way we anticipated.”