Trelleborg Wheel Systems Industrial Tires has today signed an agreement to acquire Maine Industrial Tire, the leading U.S.-based producer of large solid and semi solid tires.

The acquisition reinforces Trelleborg's position as a global market leader in the production of solid tires and also places Trelleborg into the market for large solid off-the-road (OTR) tires predominantly used within the construction, underground mining and waste management segments.

Trelleborg Wheel Systems Industrial Tires President, Jean-Paul Mindermann commented: "We are delighted to welcome Maine Industrial Tire into the Trelleborg family. The range of large solid and semi solid OTR tires perfectly complements our existing range of premium tires for materials handling applications. Through this acquisition we will be able to satisfy both the requirement from our existing original equipment manufacturer customers and enter some very exciting new market segments. We have always believed that being a global leader entails going further and for us this means offering the complete range of industrial tires to meet the multi-segment requirements of our global OEM partners. We constantly aim to deliver value to our customers through our premium products and services and via our 360 degree end-to-end approach.

"The Brawler range is a market leading family of industrial tires developed to work in the harshest of industries and demanding conditions where performance matters. The premium quality of Maine products and their history of innovation and market understanding are a perfect match for our own and we expect customers to truly benefit from two world class companies coming together. This acquisition places Trelleborg at the very top of the industrial solid tire market and our enhanced product range, combined with our world class support, infrastructure and performance focus, means we will continue to set the standards for the industry."

Maine Industrial Tire currently operates twin-site manufacturing in the U.S. and China. Trelleborg intends to establish a sales and distribution organization in China where industrial forklift truck production already exceeds that of Europe and America combined.