Innovation, communication, quality drive success for Wyko

AKRON—Wyko Tire Technology recently celebrated a milestone anniversary. The company has been in operation for 45 years in the U.S., and commemorated the accomplishment on June 30 with current and former employees, their families and representatives from state and local economic development agencies.

Wyko first started operations in Dudley, England, in 1962. The company later opened a U.S. location in Greenback, Tenn., in 1977. This year is significant for both locations, marking the 60th anniversary for the Dudley location and the 45th for Greenback.

General Manager Mike Evans reached a milestone himself this year, having been with the company for 37 years. He said the company has been able to sustain business for so many years for several reasons.

"Innovation, communication, quality service and having the right people have been key to the company's success," Evans said at the International Tire Exhibition & Conference in Akron. "We're always coming up with new ways for the customer to improve their productivity and uniformity. Plus, we always listen to the customer and design solutions to the customer's needs. Then we always provide a high level of service to our manufacturers."

Vice General Manager Kenny McCleery agreed.

"Ultimately, we solve problems by providing effective engineering solutions," McCleery said.

Part of what sets Wyko apart from similar companies is that its products are customized to a specific machine, need or process. Both Evans and McCleery said developing strong relationships with clients is key.

"So much of our success starts with a simple conversation, but it can be a challenge to find the right person to discuss what their current needs may be," McCleery said, "That is what also sets us apart. For 60 years we have successfully integrated our technology to our customer's building platform and production. As a result, it has helped us build a reputation as a global premier tooling provider. We provide complete tooling inventories, but we also provide highly customized tooling solutions from a one-off to everything in between. Wyko is able to meet the larger mainstream needs and application-specific type projects."

McCleery added that Wyko can offer custom solutions regardless of order volume, tire size or customer location. Wyko makes equipment mainly in the tire assembly part of production. Differences can occur in processes, construction or types of tires, such as motorcycle, earth moving or racing among others. The company is able to provide the equipment that allows the manufacturers to use their own unique processes and methods.

The professionals at Wyko work with customers' own engineers and maintenance personnel to design and build an end product with a custom fit and a focus on maximizing productivity.

"When operators and maintenance personnel change from one size of tire to another, they don't have to necessarily change our tooling because it is capable of the entire range of size of tires. Right along with that is enhancing their quality. The product that comes off our tooling is of higher quality and better uniformity than our competitors," McCleery claimed.

The company also credits having the right people for the success and longevity of Wyko. There are 35 employees, with most located at the Tennessee location. Many have been there over 40 years. The company employs engineers, machinists, mechanical assemblers and fabricators designing and manufacturing product lines from raw materials to finished goods.

"We are constantly innovating and reinvesting in our operations. Precision is key," Evans said. "Our product is precise, so all of our parts have to be as well. We have a certain culture at Wyko of dependability and integrity. We face the same problems as everyone else in manufacturing, in finding the right people, but we insist on a high level of performance out of our employees. It has helped lead to our long-term success."

While there are some big changes and new technologies on the way for the tire industry, McCleery offered a few things that never change. Listening to the customers and providing value to them by being a resource they can lean on and count on, for the expertise for tooling will always remain important to Wyko's success.

"We ultimately want our customers to use us as a resource and allow our engineers to do the heavy lifting, lean on our experience of understanding and decades of successful innovation, and understand how we can bring value to organizations and partnerships," McCleery said. "Sometimes it is what a company's technology is not doing that we can help with, and that can make a big difference."

Founded in England in 1962, Wyko debuted as a manufacturer of high-quality engineered parts and the distribution of bearings. Soon after, this expertise became focused on tire tooling. Wyko has become a global leader in the supply of highly engineered products, primarily for the tire and rubber industries.

In 2009, Wyko was acquired by Greenback-based Davian Enterprises L.L.C. In 2011, Wyko became a part of Mesnac. Today, Wyko's primary manufacturing location remains in Greenback, along with engineering, service and sales for North and South America. The Dudley location serves the Europe, Middle East and Asia markets with sales, engineering and service.