Spotlight on Pylon

For 40 years, Pylon Manufacturing Corporation has been a leading automotive aftermarket supplier specializing in the design, engineering, manufacture and marketing of wiper blades. Located in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pylon is a division of the Qualitor Inc family of automotive companies. Pylon is the licensee responsible for the manufacture and marketing of MICHELIN wiper blades in North and South America, China and the UK.

Innovative and premium range of wiper blades

Pylon started working with Michelin in 2002. The very first products launched were a range of traditional wiper blades which were sold in the US and Canada. Since then the business has grown with the introduction of new Hybrid products; the Stealth and the Stealth Ultra, and through expansion into new territories;

• Mexico
• South America
• UK
• China

The most recent addition to the wiper blade program was a range of rear wiper blades. With an innovative new connector system, this range offers great value to retailers because it reduces the number of SKUs that a retailer needs to stock from more than 10 to just four.

In 2012, Pylon launched a new and improved version of the popular MICHELIN Stealth hybrid wiper blade. This iconic and differentiated product, which Pylon has successfully marketed under the MICHELIN-brand, offers improved blade construction for long-lasting and consistent performance in the harshest weather conditions. The continued innovation and development means better windshield contact for increased visibility and safer driving. New technology enables the Stealth to adapt to the curve of the windshield. According to Paul Vincent, Vice President of International Sales for Pylon, “The improvements to our successful Stealth blade will deliver consistent, streak-free wipes time after time.”

Partnership with Michelin

As well as working with traditional retail channels, Pylon has worked with MLL and the tyre business to access the tyre channel. Pylon is now distributing wiper blades and other automotive accessories to Michelin’s independent Tyre Dealer network in the USA. Pylon currently supplies these dealers with a selection of:

• wiper blade products
• pressure gauges
• smart jumper cables
• an assortment of other seasonal items such as snow brushes and tyre storage bags

MLL, Pylon and the local Michelin teams have been working together to enhance the product offered for this already successful program for 2014 – new products (such as tyre inflators, tyre tread depth gauges, 14-in 1 multi-tools) which are highly appealing for consumers will be available. This will bring more value than ever to dealers.

Along a similar line, a compact pre-stocked MICHELIN-branded display unit, known as the Store in Store display, has been sold through Pylon to over 1,100 tire dealer locations in the US to date.

Another recently launched wiper program was with TCi (a wholesale distribution network which is a subsidiary of Michelin). This program will enable tyre dealers to order wipers blades, along with tyres, on their electronic order system. After a successful test over the summer, the program has been rolled out so that wipers are now available to all the dealers served by TCi (over 20,000). Wipers are the first products offered though this network but the MLL North American team are working to list other MICHELIN-licensed products through this network.

For 40 years, Pylon Manufacturing Corporation has been a leading automotive aftermarket supplier specializing in the design, engineering, manufacture and marketing of wiper blades.

For the future

MLL has recently granted a license to Pylon for wiper blades in China. Pylon is busy setting up their teams in Shanghai, building on the experience of Qualitors existing business there. Additionally, Pylon will distribute wiper blades to MLL’s South East Asian licensees (GAL, TABA and Remington Asia) from their new Shanghai base.

This development is still in the early stages, but the first products are expected to be launched in China by the end of 2013 and in the South East Asian market during 2014. As you would expect from MICHELN products, the wiper blades will be the same high quality in the China and South East Asia markets as they are in the other territories.