RoboTire Installs Robotic System at Discount Tire in Arizona
August 8, 2022
RoboTire, a Detroit-based robotics and automation company, has announced that a Discount Tire store in Fountain Hills, Ariz., is the first Discount Tire location in North America to install and operate a RoboTire tire-changing system. With more than 1,100 stores in the U.S., Discount Tire said it is installing the RoboTire system as one of many enhancements at its stores, designed to deliver safety and satisfaction in the customer experience.
Founded in 2018, RoboTire develops a system that enables robots to change tires in a fraction of the time that human operators can – reducing an hour-long experience to under 25 minutes. The system is helping to transform the way fleet operators, dealers, and independent service providers look at tire and wheel services.
“At Discount Tire, our priority is to continually innovate on the services we offer to give the best possible experience to our customers,” said Tom Williams, chief experience officer at Discount Tire. “We are excited to be the first to market in our space with RoboTire’s technology. With our Discount Tire expert people operating RoboTire systems, we will make the workplace safer and the experience easier as we hope to continue to reduce customer wait times and take care of more and more customers.”
RoboTire said it installed the fourth generation of its tire-changing system at the Arizona location. Systems from RoboTire, which are manufactured in the U.S., use machine learning, artificial intelligence, high-definition cameras, proprietary software and advanced robotics to change four tires on a passenger vehicle. The system can be integrated into tire shop operations, and the company provides operator training for a service center’s current tire technicians. At Discount Tire, RoboTire systems will remove, lift, and install tire and wheel assemblies, helping to reduce technician injuries that can occur with repetitive heavy lifting. Technicians will operate the systems and provide tire pressure monitoring and balancing services as needed.
“Discount Tire has been a proven leader in the tire and wheel industry for more than 60 years,” said Victor Darolfi, founder and CEO at RoboTire. “We are excited to expand our partnership with them to enhance safety and efficiency in their stores and help increase the number of customers that can be serviced on any given day. RoboTire’s systems will drastically change how tire stores and service centers like Discount Tire approach changing tires, employee and vehicle safety, and customer satisfaction.”
Discount Tire is one of the investors in RoboTire, which closed its Series A funding in late 2021. The company said it is ramping up manufacturing at its Plymouth, Mich., headquarters, and will be scaling the delivery of systems throughout North America in the coming months.
For more details on the system, visit the RoboTire website here.
