FRANKLIN, Tenn.—Specialty tire and wheel producer Carlstar Group L.L.C. has acquired Marathon Industries Inc., a supplier of solid polyurethane tires, flat-free tires and pneumatic tires for small industrial uses.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and Carlstar did not disclose Marathon's annual sales, earnings, staffing, etc.
Carlstar—the former Carlisle Transportation Products—will change Marathon's name to Marastar L.L.C. but will keep the 20-plus-year-old firm's headquarters in Kent, Wash.
“Combining Marathon with our business will expand our leadership position in the specialty tire market and strengthen the breath of our product portfolio,” Carlstar CEO John Salvatore said in a statement.
Integrating the two companies will allow Carlstar to “leverage our collective know-how and provide our customers with enhanced service that they have come to expect,” Salvatore said, adding that Marathon's products and markets are a “strategic fit” for Carlstar.
Specifically, Carlstar said Marathon's lawn and garden tires and accessories complement its own offerings in these markets while also supporting construction, industrial and materials-handling markets.
Marathon was founded in the 1990s, starting with a flat-free polyurethane bicycle tire. The company branched out over time to include flat-free wheelbarrow, hand-truck and lawn mower tires. The firm's largest tires are 8-inch rim diameter, in pneumatics for lawn mowers and flat-free for various industrial applications.
Among Marathon's better-known brands is the “Universal Fit” line available in wheelbarrow and hand-truck sizes in both flat-free and pneumatic versions.
