TIA: Automotive Tire Service Program is flying off the shelves

Record sales are being reported for the Tire Industry Association's (TIA) Automotive Tire Service (ATS) Program since it was released earlier this year.

ATS includes the industry’s first comprehensive passenger car and light truck tire service training in addition to advanced training on Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS).

As part of ATS, the organization also produces an annual TPMS Relearn Chart so technicians have access to a quick reference guide in the shop. The laminated, spiral-bound resource includes the relearn requirements for domestic and import vehicles as well as the original equipment and popular aftermarket part numbers for replacement sensors and service packs.

“We are incredibly happy with the response from our members regarding the new ATS Program,” says Kevin Rohlwing, senior vice president of training.

“Our sales projections for the year have already been exceeded and the feedback from the students has been tremendous. We even had to reprint the TPMS Relearn Chart because we knew we were going to run out of inventory a few months ago, and now the reprint is almost sold out,” he notes.

“The demand for the ATS Program has never been higher as more and more tire retailers recognize the benefits of well-trained technicians,” says Rohlwing.

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“The ATS Program is designed to give passenger and light truck tire dealers the flexibility to meet their needs,” he adds. “It is divided into several components and includes hands-on certification for those businesses that want the most qualified technicians in the industry as well as the traditional video/workbook program for those in need of minimum skills training.”

“TIA has made a strong commitment to training, so the new ATS Program is another example of our resolve to remain the leader in technician education,” says TIA President Mike Berra.

“In fact, we are currently developing an online university that will be launched in the first quarter of 2012,” he reports. “This will give everyone instant access to our basic and advanced training programs with electronic reporting and recordkeeping. The Board unanimously approved this investment because we understand the need to provide our training materials on multiple platforms.”

For more information, visit www.tireindustry.org.