Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group has acquired the tire services business of Klinge & Co. in Australia. 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,” said 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. Their cultural alignment is strong, both earning the respect of customers, and both regarding team members as part of the family.
“Kal Tire and the Klinge tire services business is a strong comfortable fit for Dianne and I,” said 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.
Kal Tire began its move east when they recently established themselves 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 valuable 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, 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.”
When it comes to training and safety, the two organizations are once again strongly aligned. Kal Tire’s focus on Journey to Zero is a commitment to every team member going home safely every day.
