Discount Tire's parent company, The Reinalt-Thomas Corp., is investing in automotive robotics and automation company RoboTire, which is based in Detroit, Mich.
The companies' recently closed a $7.5 million Series A investment round.
RoboTire officials say the investment "sets us on a path to further transform vehicle maintenance.
"Our focus is to revolutionize the way tires are changed and collaborating with Discount Tire - an iconic automotive and tire industry leader - will make our innovative technology more widely available to consumers who need both speed and service as part of their daily lives.
RoboTire’s system uses robots to change tires "in a fraction of the time human operators can — reducing multiple-hour experiences to under 15 minutes.
"Introducing this breakthrough, manufacturing-level automation to traditional automotive repair shops transforms the traditional financial and operational considerations used by fleet operators and automotive service providers for tire and wheel services."
“Discount Tire is excited to support RoboTire in the development of new and innovative technologies that drive a better customer experience,” says Tom Williams, chief experience officer at Discount Tire.
“As customer expectations around the ‘buy and book online’ experience and our ability to deliver reduced wait times continue to grow, we will continue to pursue automation and enhancements that ensure an inviting, easy and safe experience for all our customers.”
