TIA ANNOUNCES 2006 TIRE INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
AND FRIEND OF THE INDUSTRY AWARD
Bowie, MD – (August 7, 2006) The Tire Industry Association (TIA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2006 Tire Industry Hall of Fame: Jaques Bajer, President of Tire Systems Engineering, Inc. and Armando Tornel Murillo, Executive President, Empresas Tornel. Four additional inductees were selected for induction in the “Historical Contributors” Hall of Fame category that was added last year. This category recognizes those individuals who have made significant industry contributions and have been out of the industry for at least 20 years or more. They may be retired, deceased, or may have begun their career in the tire industry and moved on to a different industry.
The four individuals chosen for induction as “Historical Contributors” are: Giovanni Pirelli, founder of Pirelli Tire; Jerry Shaw, editor of Tires (now Modern Tire Dealer); Charles and John Gates, International Rubber (Gates Rubber), manufacturers of the Half-Sole, a type of rubber tread cemented over worn tires that paved the way for modern day retreading; and Phil Lansdale and Don Carr, founders of 4dayTire Stores.
TIA’s 2006 Friend of the Industry Award recipient is Ira Feldman, Manager of the Vehicles Category Management Center with the United States Postal Service in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This award recognizes well-known individuals who are allies and proven supporters of the tire industry. These individuals are not part of the tire industry, but have affected it positively in some manner. Mr. Feldman has been a strong supporter of the US Postal Service’s use of retreaded tires and continues to be instrumental in their usage.
Jacques Bajer is the president of Tire Systems Engineering, Inc. in Grosse Pointe, Michigan where he specializes in the design of advanced manufacturing systems for the economical mass production of tires, power transmission belts, lathe-cut seals and air springs.
The French-born engineer was an active participant in the evolution of the automotive and tire industry. His work at Ford Motor Company from 1955 to 1970 led to the development of the tire uniformity grading machine (1962) and the low-profile tire (1964). Bajer also was a key figure in the radialization of America.
Mr. Bajer has many patents on tire production and design. He realized that American automobiles would have to have both dramatic and subtle modifications to chassis, suspension, drive train, and body panels to fully utilize and appreciate all of the advantages of radial construction. To this end, he developed the idea of power train presence, the acoustical tuning machine technique, and the virtues of suspension compliance. His development and insistence upon true uniformity standards for tires, wheels, and manufacturing consistency have resulted in original equipment (OE) specifications that have been unchanged for nearly forty years.
Not content to rest upon his laurels, he is still advising many in the automobile and tire industry worldwide for the problems they encounter. Even now, he is at work on the development for a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) for motorcycles.
Armando Tornel Murillo is the executive president of Empresas Tornel in Mexico. He has had a long and very successful career in the tire industry. It all began in 1930 when he was sent by his father to the United States to study tire engineering at the former Smithers laboratory in Akron, Ohio and rubber technology at the Vanderbuilt laboratory. In 1933 Tornel and his father founded “Hulera El Centernario” where the first AMERICA and ALL STATE tires were produced. In 1951 Hulera Tornel started making retreading materials.
In 1970 the company started manufacturing passenger car inner tubes and in 1972 they started manufacturing truck, light truck, and bus tires. In 1982, after a comprehensive research and development process, it launched its line of passenger radial tires. Over the years, several of the Tornel factories were taken over by U.S. Rubber, Firestone, and Bridgestone, but after each takeover, Tornel opened another factory. At present, Hulera Tornel has five production plants and has grown from 36 workers in 1933 to a workforce of 2080 employees.
Armando Tornel Murillo has received countless awards and commendations from various officials and organizations, including: Gold Medal “Angel Urraza” from the National Chamber of the Rubber Industry; Distinction Award from ANDELLAC (National Associaiton of the Tire Manufacturers, Retreaders, and Retailers, A.C.) for his more than 40 years of contributions to the rubber industry; medal from the Mexican Red Cross; recognition from the Mexican Rubber Group for his sixty years of uninterrupted labor into the Mexican rubber industry; recognition from Mark Emkes, Chairman and CEO of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. for being the founder of that company in Mexico and for his outstanding work in the tire industry, to name a few, as well as the International Diamond Star for Quality in 2004.
At the age of 97 Tornel still remains involved in the family business and is focused on the welfare of his workers and their families. He has been an example to his employees and his country throughout his life.
The Hall of Fame Inductions will take place on October 31, 2006 in Las Vegas, Nevada prior to the opening of the SEMA Show/TIA’s Performance Tires & Wheels. The presentation will be held during TIA’s Breakfast with the President, scheduled from 6:45 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Caesars Palace Hotel Roman Ballroom. Tickets for the event are $35 and are available online at www.tireindustry.org.
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TIA is an international association representing all segments of the tire industry, including those that manufacture, repair, recycle, sell, service or use new or retreaded tires, and also those suppliers or individuals who furnish equipment, material or services to the industry. The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has a history that spans more than 80 years and includes several name changes. Originally known as the National Tire Dealers & Retreaders Association (NTDRA), the organization gave birth over the years to the American Retreaders Association (ARA) and the Tire Association of North America (TANA). ARA changed its name to the International Tire & Rubber Association (ITRA) and merged with TANA in 2002 to form the current Tire Industry Association (TIA), which now represents every interest in the tire industry.
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