Shrader Tire and Oil is celebrating 30 years of manufacturing retreads this year. The Toledo, Ohio-based company celebrated 75 years of being in business in 2023 and reached the new milestone in 2024.
“Getting into the retread manufacturing business has been a key to our growth”, said Shrader Tire and Oil President and CEO Joe Shrader. “Having our own retread facilities has allowed us to better serve and deliver high-quality tires to our customers.”
Shrader Tire and Oil purchased a 12,000-square-foot building just outside of the Village of Blissfield in 1993 and opened its first retread plant the following year with a staff of four – a manager and three employees.
The retread production plant soon outgrew its space and Shrader Tire and Oil added 16,000-square-feet to the plant, producing Oliver-brand retreads.
Oliver, which is owned by Michelin today, was America’s first retread rubber brand.
Truck tire retreads deliver huge savings to fleet managers and owner/operators and have a massive impact on the environment. It is estimated that nearly 300 million tires from cars and trucks are thrown away by Americans each year, but the use of retreads saves hundreds of millions of gallons of oil, and millions of tires continue a useful life rather than being consigned to a tire pile or landfill.
Simply put, retreading is recycling and conserving oil. The synthetic rubber components in a new medium truck tire require about 22 gallons of oil, but it takes only seven gallons to retread that same tire.
In 2005, Shrader Tire and Oil converted its retread operations to Michelin in Melvindale, Mich. A second Michelin manufacturing plant was purchased in 2017 in Pemberville, Ohio.
Today, Shrader Tire and Oil continues to utilize Michelin Retread Technology at those two locations, producing hundreds of thousands of retreads.
“We are proud to have been in business for 76 years and we are committed to manufacturing only the best retreads for our customers.”
Shrader Tire & Oil is the premier tire and lubricant distributor in the Midwest. With locations in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, Shrader Tire and Oil has 14 truck tire and fleet service centers, two state-of-the-art Michelin retread plants, 4 bulk lubricant operations and a 24-hour emergency road service network.
Michelin achieved a notable accomplishment in the 2024 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study by winning its 100th, 101st, and 102nd J.D. Power Awards.
Michelin achieved top scores for Luxury, Passenger Car, and Performance Sport Vehicles in Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction for 2024. This accomplishment showcases Michelin’s dedication to providing top-notch tire quality and performance, as shown by responses from drivers throughout the United States.
Shrader Tire and Oil is proud to have been associated with Michelin for more than 60 years.
Alexis Garcin, President and CEO of Michelin, commended the tire company’s achievements, crediting the hard work of their employees in developing, constructing, and supplying tires.
The research, which gathered responses from more than 31,000 vehicle owners, evaluated contentment across four main categories: tire longevity, tire ride quality, tire aesthetics, and tire grip/handling. Michelin’s ongoing triumph showcases its lasting dedication to customer contentment and tire quality.
Today, with 14 truck tire and fleet service centers, two state-of-the-art Michelin retread plants, and four bulk lubricant operations larger than ever, Shrader Tire & Oil is the premier tire and lubricant distributor in the Midwest.
By aligning ourselves with Chevron & Michelin, Shrader brings value to our customers for less. In addition to providing the highest quality products in the industry, Shrader offers the best service in the region. Our knowledge and expertise go well beyond our product lines. We strive to create loyal partnerships with our customers while providing measurable solutions for lowering operating costs through our high-performance products and extreme customer service.
For more than 75 years, Shrader Tire and Oil has been Keeping the Transportation Industry Rolling and Safe!
Congratulations are in order for our very own MRT II plant – located in Pemberville, Ohio – after Michelin gave high marks to the retread facility in its annual audit.
“My team deserves all the credit,” said MRT II Manager John Taylor. “They are a great team that cares about what goes to our customers. They’re a fun group to mentor and coach.”
Michelin annually does an audit of retread facilities. The scores given to MRT II for the recent audit include:
• 100 percent for Safety
• 99 percent for Process Quality Audit – The auditor goes post-to-post and interacts with the operators to ensure they can perform the functions by applying work methods and specifications correctly.
• 99 percent for Finished Product Quality Audit. The auditor chooses 20 random tires from the warehouse ready to go to the customer and brings them back into the plant, putting them through a rigorous inspection to ensure proper work methods were followed.
“A lot of hard work goes into ensuring we are producing at the highest quality retread level possible in the industry,” said Bob Watters, STO’s general manager of manufacturing. “Thank you to the MRT II team for exercising our STO vision to keep the transportation industry rolling and safe!”
An audit at MRT I will come later this spring.
Shrader Tire and Oil hosted two Delo Truck Experience events in September, one at our store in Melvindale, Mich. and the other at our Columbus, Ohio, location.
Chevron takes the Delo Truck across the country giving customers an opportunity to learn more about the product. Inside the Delo trailer are multiple interactive displays that customers can experience and educate themselves about Chevron and Delo.
Shrader Tire and Oil representatives were on hand to talk with customers and potential customers as well. Tours were given of the Shrader Tire and Oil retread plant, bulk oil facility and warehouse.
