Trans American Rubber

View This Article in BOSS Magazine
See how this wholesale provider of inner tubes, flaps, and specialty tires has stayed ahead of the curve in an industry heavily affected by the Great Recession.

The 2008 recession affected all businesses in the United States, and the tube industry was no different. Companies exited the markets in droves, either closing doors for good, or were bought out by the competition.

Even today, price fluctuation is causing many of the companies in the industry to change strategy yet again for the current downturn. And yet, Trans American Rubber has stayed ahead of the curve, leveraging its strategic partnerships to remain strong.

The company is a wholesale provider of inner tubes, flaps and specialty tires to Canada, the U.S., and to Mexico. All of its inner tubes are made of 100 percent butyl rubber and ISO certified, meaning they can withstand heat better and have more elasticity than those with clay filler, and exceed industry standards. These quality products and Trans American Rubber’s global vendor relationships have been key parts to the company’s strategy towards leaner operations.

“When it comes down to it, it’s our reputation on the line if we deliver something sub-par to our customers. That’s why we only partner with vendors that meet our high standard—high-quality, ISO-type companies,” shared Diane Christensen, Vice President of Trans American Rubber.

Making sure its supply chain is running at its highest efficiency at all times is crucial to meeting customer expectations, so Trans American Rubber has gone above and beyond to help guarantee its products get to their customers on time and at affordable prices.

To protect its supply chain, the company became Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certified in 2008, and has maintained the certification to present day. This voluntary supply chain security program led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is focused on improving the security of private companies’ supply chains.

With the C-TPAT certification in place, Trans American Rubber has a better chance at keeping its inner tube shipments on track, instead of constantly being stopped for inspections.

“Every two to three years we have to recertify, but it protects our entire supply chain,” said Christensen. “We do have products that come from overseas, and this allows both us and Customs to know we have the right processes in place and that it’s managed properly.”

Leaner internal strategies and initiatives have driven Trans American Rubber through the Great Recession, and continue to drive the company’s success. While the company had to adapt because of the marketplace, Trans American Rubber knew that its customers were stuck in the same economic downturn they were, and instituted these lean measures largely to cut costs for their customer base.

“We employ outside contractors and consultants so that we have a variable cost for some labor instead of a fixed cost,” shared Christensen. “This gives the company the option to flex up or down month to month depending on workload. There’s no drop in quality with our products, and our services continue to be provided by people who share our same core values.