Prometeon adds Tier 3 TBR brand; Tier 2 brand to follow

Prometeon Tyre Group S.r.l., the former Pirelli industrial tire business, has launched a Tier 3 associate truck/bus tire brand as part of the company's move to a multi-brand approach.

Developed with a special focus on safety, the "Anteo" brand will complement Pirelli as Prometeon's premium brand, the company said, while an as-yet-unnamed Tier 2 brand is being developed as well for launch later in 2019.

The Anteo brand products were developed "under real-life conditions" at Prometeon's plants in Turkey and Brazil, Alexandre Bregantim, chief technology officer, said at a recent launch event in Milan.

Prometeon claims the new brand features "performance excellence" particularly in terms of wet grip and can be customized tires according to the specific needs of different geographical areas.

The Milan-based company said it plans to market the new brand primarily in Europe this year and next, with a North American debut not planned until year-end 2020, when it will become Prometeon's "value proposition" offering for small and medium fleets searching for a good "value-for-money" product.

North American customers should expect the launch of a Tier 2 brand this year in addition to the Formula brand, which Prometeon said "will remain part of our brand portfolio as it has found a very important role within our channel management strategy.""Anteo is the first [of the company's own-brands], confirming our focus on … the truck and bus sector," Prometeon Chairman and CEO Giorgio Bruno said during the Milan launch.

The brand launches with six individual fitments — Pro-S, -D and -T for steer-, drive- and trailer-axle applications; and Mover-M, -S and -D for on-/off-road applications. The Pro-S and -D lines are designed for use on buses and travel coaches as well.

Prometeon is backing the Anteo brand with a "7/7/3 warranty policy" on the casing — i.e., 700,000 miles, 7 years, 3 retreads.

Starting with the launch of Anteo, Prometeon also said that it is taking a "platform approach" toward tire sales and services. This will include supplying "the necessary systems and technological solutions" alongside its tires, through an extended Prometeon dealer network.

The tire maker said it will present more details of its new platform-approach in the coming months. Prometeon has set up a dedicated web site, anteotyres.com, for the brand.

Pirelli & C. S.p.A. established Prometeon Tyre in 2017 as part of its move to revamp Pirelli into a "pure consumer" tire company following China National Chemical Corp.'s acquisition of Pirelli in 2015.

It's represented in North America by Prometeon Tyre Group Commercial Solutions L.L.C. in San Diego.