Automated tire changing machine provider RoboTire LLC has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware Bankruptcy Court.
Based in Plymouth, Mich., RoboTire was formed in 2018.
RoboTire officials claimed that the firm's fully automated tire changing machine could install a set of four tires in 20 minutes.
In a February 2022 MTD interview, the company's founder, Victor Darolfi, told MTD that the company was "working with quite a few regional dealers located pretty much across the country about implementing RoboTire systems.
"We’ve hosted several dealers - ranging from large chain operators to single-store, small independent owners - for demonstrations at our headquarters in Michigan."
In October 2021, Discount Tire announced that it had invested $7.5 million in RoboTire, a capital infusion that RoboTire officials said would set it "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 installed its first automated tire mounting system at a Discount Tire store in Fountain Hills, Ariz., in summer 2022.
Later that year, RoboTire announced that it had installed a RoboTire system at a Creamery Tire store in a suburb of Philadelphia, Pa.
A second Discount Tire store - a location in Arlington, Texas - received a RoboTire tire changing machine in February 2023.
