G.S. Sareen, CEO and president of Omni United (S) Pte. Ltd., which makes Radar brand tires, wants to change the way people think about “premium” tires.
“When I ask people, ‘What is premium?’ everybody has their own definition,” says Sareen. “Premium, in my mind, means features, benefits and performance.”
This philosophy puts Radar brand tires in a growth position, especially as consumers continue to gravitate toward less-expensive tires, according to Sareen.
“The market is moving away from the majors and into tier-two, tier-three and tier-four.”
This shift is happening for two reasons, he believes. “One is because of inflation and disposable income becoming tight. The second is that the quality of products is improving.”
Sareen says this trend will help fuel Radar’s expansion as parent company Omni United continues to roll out new products in response to evolving demand.
“As we move forward, we’re coming up with newer designs and products for newer applications.
“When the market moved toward big demand” for light trucks, “we followed the market,” introducing an all-terrain tire, the Radar Renegade X, last year.
The Radar Renegade X fits rims ranging from 17 inches to 24 inches in diameter and is available in eight sizes, with six more hitting the market during the first quarter of 2024.
“We’ll add more (sizes) as the market needs,” says Sareen.
Omni United also plans to expand its Radar Electric Vehicle (EV) lineup with the launch of a new EV tire in 2024.
The company’s EV range currently includes an All Season EV tire, as well as EV fitments in its Dimax and RPX lines – all introduced in 2023.
The All-Season EV is available in five Tesla fitments, fitting wheels ranging from 18 inches to 22 inches in diameter.
The EV-compatible Dimax and RPX products are available in five sizes, ranging from 15- to 17-inches in rim diameter.
Omni United is “putting” its EV tires “initially in strong EV markets, like California,” says Sareen.
“We’re not just throwing it out there, as in, ‘Here’s a product, here’s a price, do what you want with it.’
“We’re going down the chain, educating the wholesaler on where he can price the product and make money off it and then going to the retailer.”
As an example, “we have a Tesla wrapped up in Radar (branding) that goes to dealers every day. Our sales guys are taking that car from retailer to retailer.
“Recently, a dealer did a side-by-side comparison” of a Radar EV tire and another product “and saw a significant difference” in performance.
“He asked our distributor in Sacramento, Calif., ‘How many (of these) tires do you have?’
"That’s what I mean by ‘premium accessibility,” says Sareen. “That’s where we’re going.”
Sareen also believes consumers should have access to aesthetically pleasing tires.
Omni United is partnering with Italy-based design house Guigiaro to develop new products.
He cites the Renegade X as “as a very attractive” tire.
“Why should the consumer get the ‘same-same-same' all the time? Why not give them better designs?
“I want to democratize it (and) make it as widely available to people as possible. Why should a great design only be available to a few?”
Steady sourcing
Radar brand tires are produced at multiple plants, according to Sareen.
“We have manufacturing in four countries: China, Thailand, Indonesia and India. And we’ll start manufacturing in Europe soon.
“We buy capacity from plants and those negotiations are always on,” he says. “So if there’s a plant that exists and there’s capacity, we’ll approach (the owner of the plant) and take capacity.
“When we go into Plant A, we’ll give them a full blueprint of how our products are made. We set our own standards.”
In the U.S., most of Omni United’s distribution is through wholesalers, “but we also (supply) large national retailers like Discount Tire and Pep Boys.
“We’re also forever improving our supply chain capabilities.”
Omni United has mixing warehouses in different countries. The company’s U.S.-based mixing warehouse is in Dallas, Texas.
U.S.-based tire dealers will see Omni United enter new segments, says Sareen. “We’re coming out with an all-weather tire next year.
“We’re now testing a new, all-weather tire, which will launch in Europe first, in the middle of next year, and then in the U.S.
“We’ll put that in the market as a replacement for all-season tires – again, not charging the consumer an arm and a leg,” he adds.
