McCourt has introduced a new line of wheel service equipment to its distributors and customers that serve the OE, aftermarket and new car dealer market. The line is being marketed under the Wheel Products name. Included in its initial offering will be passenger-vehicle tire changers and balancers.
This new product line expansion is the result of a May 2009 announcement by Corghi Wheel Service Products that it was bringing its North American marketing and sales inside. This left McCourt without the line it represented for more than 20 years.
"Our sales team was responsible for creating unique brand awareness for the Corghi brand," said Vince Murdocco, vice president of operations for McCourt. "This was accomplished through training and strong customer service. These strengths enabled us to market and service tire balancers and changers to companies like Honda, BMW, Michelin, General Motors, Goodyear and independent dealers."
McCourt will be using these same assets to market the Wheel Products line, which launched in mid-February. The line includes the WP8300 balancer that comes standard with features like an LCD display, hidden weight program and a weight-saving program that calculates the least amount of weight needed to bring a wheel assembly into static and dynamic balance. At the top of the tire changer line is the WP7528. The ergonomic design allows for the mounting and dismounting of a wide variety of wheels and tire without the fear of damage to expensive finishes or TPMS sensors. With optional accessories like the TechnoArm, it is possible to service difficult run flat tires, low-profile sidewalls and wheel/tire combinations that are difficult to lower onto the drop center.
McCourt will be demonstrating the new products around the country with a fleet of trucks equipped with the complete line of balancers and changers.
"We will have more control over the products in the line than we have had in the past. This gives us the flexibility to offer products more in tune with our end-users’ needs and a more profitable offering for our distributors. These are the same people we have had relationships with for more than 20 years," said company founder Chuck McCourt. "We are back, with the same great service and name that our customers have come to expect from McCourt."
Live technical support will be handled by McCourt at its Copley, Ohio, headquarters by trained personnel who have more than 180 years of combined experience servicing the automotive aftermarket.
For more information, visit www.wheelproductsbymccourt.com.