Global Rubber Industries Pvt. Ltd., a leading industrial tyre manufacturer in Sri Lanka, has purchased two US-based industrial tyre service and retail companies – Leffler Industrial Tire & Rubber Track Inc. and Kentucky Industrial Tire Inc. – as part of its strategy to establish itself in the North American market.
Leffler Industrial Tire is currently based in Indianapolis, Indiana and specialises in industrial forklift tyres for material handling. Leffler currently offers products and services in Illinois and Indiana.Kentucky Industrial Tire, based in Louisville and Lexington, offers the same products and services in Kentucky.
Both founded and owned by Mike and Sherri Leffler, the two companies offer a wide portfolio of tyres with core products including solid resilient and press-on band tyres for forklifts, polyurethane tyres, construction tyres, skid steer tyres, off-the-road (OTR) tyres, and rubber tracks.Services offered include mobile onsite installation and poly fill solutions.
According to GRI, the acquisitions will complement its existing sales office in Canton, Georgia and will further enhance the company’s distribution ability throughout the US market. It will also provide products and services to GRI’s customers in the US at a “level beyond their expectations”, according to Prabhash Subasinghe, managing director of GRI.
Based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, GRI produces solid and pneumatic tyres and rubber tracks for materials-handling, industrial, agriculture, OTR and construction vehicles. It distributes its products in more than 50 countries worldwide, including the US, Australia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.