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CAN DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FAST-TRACK BUSINESS?

When should suppliers accelerate and when should they apply the brakes? It is a question every automotive vendor struggles to answer. Does Torqata, a data and analytics start-up, hold the keys to data-driven market success? 


By Marion Jablon Posen 

If you read automotive press, attend automotive conferences and generally keep your ear to the automotive industry ground, you may have run across the name Torqata, but like me, you may not know much about this relatively new spin-off company or its mission. 

What is Torqata and how did it come into existence? 

Torqata started as an internal advanced analytic arm of American Tire Distributors (ATD), designed to identify and create efficiencies in ATD’s distribution by leveraging data. After realizing the team’s tools could apply to more than just tire distributors, Torqata spun off into its own startup in 2020.  

With a newly found mission to serve the broader aftermarket, Torqata now seeks to unite the industry using retailer point-of-sale data, and analytics horsepower, to create data transparency. This allows manufacturers, distributors and retailers to improve key areas of their business performance using patented technologies and data-driven analytics and insights. 

The name Torqata is a combination of the words torque and data. If torque gets a car moving from a stop and provides the power needed to climb hills and pass other vehicles, Torqata powers and drives better business decisions through data and analytics. 

Tim Eisenmann, Torqata CEO. 

From the beginning, Torqata’s CEO Tim Eisenmann’s vision has been to “enable and inform manufacturers, distributors, service and tire shop owners to remove waste by providing the ability to quickly respond to market trends and create efficiencies in their business to drive more revenue.” 

How does Torqata help real-world aftermarket customers? What is the practical application for customers who may not be familiar with data and advanced analytics? 

Jill Trotta, Torqata VP of Business Development, Partnerships and Marketing. 

“We own the most extensive, granular, relevant data set in the auto aftermarket supply chain. Leveraging that data via patented algorithms, we provide transparent and unbiased insights to ensure we represent the overall market. Manufacturers and distributors can capture demand signals to optimize inventory and production while leveraging aggregated and anonymized data that can apply across all partners,” explained industry veteran Jill Trotta, Torqata’s VP of Business Development, Partnerships and Marketing. 

“We know that Big Data sounds intimidating. We make it easy for our customers to harness its power and drive business. Retailers benefit from our suite of data-driven software solutions for pricing, inventory strategy and sales.” 

The Torqata team can deliver actionable insights designed to streamline operations and reduce or eliminate stale or undersold inventory in three important ways:  

  • Provide pricing insights for shops to see how they compare against the market without making phone calls. It allows for a better pricing strategy, so shops know when they are underpriced or overpriced down to the SKU level. 
  • Appropriately take advantage of manufacturer incentive programs and rebates by making inventory recommendations based on market demand and forecasts. 
  • Optimize inventory by making recommendations that help identify the most profitable inventory based on a customized area and its demand. 

Who are Torqata’s current customers and who would benefit from using Torqata’s expertise? 

Torqata provides unique insights to tire retailers, manufacturers and distributors based in the United States, allowing them to source, price and optimize their inventory, Jill states. While the potential exists to expand their data services to other products, their current focus remains on their original mission of reducing waste and increasing profits throughout the tire supply chain. 

Electric vehicles are advancing many changes in the automotive industry; how will Torqata adapt to and embrace those changes in their business model? Jill says, “Torqata already sees the impacts of electric vehicles (EVs), especially on tires. The torque and weight of EVs wear tires faster than ICE (internal combustion engine vehicles). Our data is already showing signs of this shift in demand, and we are helping our retailer customers assure they are stocking the right products, at the right price, to meet this trending demand.” 

What do customers say about adding Torqata analytics to their strategy? “Torqata is an amazing tool that is helping to shape our inventory into the proper mix of SKUs to stock for our market while guiding us on which SKUs to stock to maximize profit.”  

“The Torqata team offer outstanding customer service and are very knowledgeable, instilling confidence in myself and my staff with the data that we rely on from Torqata,” remarked Brandon LePage, Owner Jim Lewis Tire. 

A sentiment echoed by Jeff Deans of St Lucie Battery & Tire, “For our business (17 retail locations, one wholesale), Torqata has advanced our process ten years. There was an amount of labor and time involved that was getting burdensome to maintain proper stocking levels and inventory in our stores. Torqata not only speeds up this process tremendously but gives you the information in a clear and easy to understand format. I was able to hand off this task to someone who had never been in the role of inventory management before with only Torqata in his tool bag, and progress has been fantastic. We will be utilizing Torqata in its full capacity, moving forward, solely as our management tool.” 

Torqata Team Meeting. 

Managing a start-up business is always challenging, with one hundred employees working remotely how does Torqata’s company culture function?  

Describing the Torqata culture Jill says: “Although our team is 100% remote, there is a strong focus on connection and community. We start each week with an all-hands stand-up meeting to align the teams and finish each week with a check-out, which includes the opportunity to “shout-out” (thank) team members for their efforts. We know the automotive aftermarket and encourage ideas from every corner. This level of interaction and collaboration has led to constantly improving existing offerings and developing new ones based on our customer’s pain points.” 

“Torqata places a high priority on promoting and embracing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) by partnering with aftermarket diversity specialist dott™, and Torqata has increased our dedication to elevating people, process and profits through diversity of thought.” 

“Additionally, team members are encouraged (it is even included in goals) to reach out to their local communities and volunteer three times per year, to attend two conferences/networking events in the industry, and to hand out virtual tacos for giving shoutouts to anyone in the company to celebrate anything worth shouting out for. Our ladies have a “Women of Torqata” group that includes regular mentoring sessions from the Pink Mentor Network, “a program designed to help women through team workshops that recognize collective challenges and individual contributions and energize and unite every member for the work ahead.” Our ladies have raved about how informative, empowering and uplifting it is to gather.” 

Torqata is a blend of unique talents and skills, pulling together a variety of the brightest data scientists, talented developers and automotive industry veterans’ laser-focused on providing tools and solutions that help advance the automotive industry.  

Advanced data analytics is just another way the automotive aftermarket is growing and providing insight to businesses and career opportunities for a new generation.  


If you want to join Torqata and the many other technology providers that have used MOTOR’s Insights data solutions to support data-driven decisions, please visit motor.com.

Stay current on trending automotive news and read MOTOR-exclusive articles written by their industry-expert writers. Sign up to receive MOTOR’s e-Newsletter today! 

View the original article by MOTOR here.

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TORQATA ANNOUNCES NEW ADDITIONS TO THE TEAM, CONTINUING TO STRIVE FOR A WORKFORCE IN THE TIRE INDUSTRY INCLUSIVE OF WOMEN

Embracing the small number of women in the automotive industry, Torqata continues to value women with automotive and tire industry experience, bringing three new experienced women in 2023, and promoting another to Vice President.


Huntersville, NC, March 31, 2023 — Torqata Data & Analytics, a software company in the tire industry, welcomes Kirsten Zaremba, Ashley Hoyt, and Kate Beirowski to the team, bringing additional experienced women into the automotive industry. Torqata also congratulates Elizabeth (Liz) Schneider on her new promotion to Vice President of Product.

Kirsten is on board as the new Director of Marketing, bringing more than 25 years’ experience in the automotive industry supporting the automotive aftermarket, dealers, and vehicle manufacturers, such as Volkswagen. Among the key initiatives while at the Auto Care Association, she led efforts to ensure secure and direct access to vehicle data with the “Your Car. Your Data.” campaign and Right to Repair. In addition, she is a Women in Auto Care member, on the Wheel and Tire Council for SEMA, and an Ambassador of TechForce.

Ashley joins as the newly created Senior Manager of Business Development and Partnerships, bringing on more than ten years’ of experience.  Along with her childhood roots in the automotive industry, she is an experienced partnership manager. Most recently, she created the Enterprise CSM team at RepairPal, a software company for auto repair and maintenance, and defined the team’s mission and recruitment goals. In addition, she is a member of Women in Auto Care and YANG.

With more than ten years’ experience as an inspirational sales leader in the logistics and automotive industries, Kate joins Torqata as the Director of Inside Sales. She has built successful sales teams from the ground up and will bring that success to Torqata as we continue to grow and transform the tire industry. In addition, she is a member of Women in Auto Care.

It is with great pride that we announce the recent promotion of Liz Schneider to Vice President of Product. Liz joined Torqata in 2021 as the Product Area Manager, and has been a considerable part of Torqata’s success and growth in her previous role. She has more than 25 years of experience in the financial industry in various roles serving retail, small business, and commercial clients. Leveraging data to enable better customer experiences that drive revenue and deliver efficiencies has been at the heart of every role she’s had. In her new role with Torqata as the VP of Product, Liz will continue to lead her teams to meet their strategic goals and contribute to Torqata’s success.

“The uniqueness of every team member here at Torqata, combined with their knowledge and expertise in the industry, will help Torqata to, as we say, drive better decisions,” said Tim Eisenmann, CEO of Torqata Data and Analytics, “We celebrate equity and encourage women of the industry to continue to lead and pioneer our efforts. We’re proud of our new additions and promotion to Team Torqata!”


About Torqata

Torqata Data & Analytics is a data analytics software company that helps tire manufacturers, distributors and retailers maximize profits and customer value by providing data visibility and connectivity across the supply chain. Torqata offers a full suite of data-driven software tools for pricing, inventory management, and sales insights designed to streamline operations and reduce or eliminate stale inventory. This allows manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to improve key areas of their business performance using patented technologies, and data-driven analytics and insights.

Torqata’s vision is to enable and inform manufacturers, distributors, service, and tire shop owners to source, price, and optimize their inventory; this reduces waste and drives profits through the entire distribution channel.

Interested individuals and organizations can visit Torqata.com to schedule a demonstration or to learn more.


Media Contact

Kirsten Zaremba
Torqata Data & Analtyics
kzaremba@torqata.com

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The First Trends + Treads is Here!

We’re excited to share our very first issue of the Trends + Treads, a comprehensive digital briefing of the tire industry at its current state. Which, as you can imagine, that’s pure value for the tire retailer, distributor and manufacturer. 

Treads + Treads visualizes for you the exact information you want about the industry: 

  • Tire sellout trends by tier 
  • Breakdowns by category and region 
  • Average price increases 
  • Prior year price comparisons

And even better: 

You get to see how the economy has impacted store visits and volume. That’s the ultimate benefit. 

All the analysis you’ll see comes from the vital data we’ve collected. And here’s the best news of them all: this is just the first issue. There will be plenty more to come. So it’s time for you to check the trends and treads of the industry you love the most. 

Check it out right here and let’s ring in the new year! 

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Reinvent the Wheel Hackathon 2.0, Together Again to Drive Sustainability in the Auto Aftermarket

Always bigger the second time around, right? Our Reinvent the Wheel Hackathon 2.0 took that statement to a whole new level by converging some of the brightest data science minds from across the United States together in Huntersville, NC, to tackle an automotive aftermarket sustainability problem in only 24 hours. Energy drinks, coffee, and pure grind pushed these 100 data scientists, divided into 21 teams, to hack away at a scrap tire forecasting and tire recycling optimization challenge. 

100 Participants Not Only Competed to Solve a Challenge, but to Have Fun! 

And fun was had (can anyone say ‘tire bowling’ out in the parking lot?). The next generation of data science was indeed alive and well, reminded of the fact that we have an industry of the next data scientists to come up with the most creative ideas that will solve the most challenging of issues. 

There were several winners, and to be fair – all participants won in this event, because it was all for the common goal: sustainability and togetherness! 

Here Are the Results of Our Latest Reinvent the Wheel Hackathon

  • 1st Place – Michelin, winning $3,000 (donating award to university teams) and a set of Continental tires 
  • 2nd Place – The Huskies from Northeastern University, winning $1,500 and a set of Hercules tires 
  • 3rd Place – The Database Avengers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, winning $500 and a SnoPro certification from kipi.bi 
  • 4th Place – 808s and Snowflake, including team members from RedStone Credit Union, Bank of America, and UNCC (newly created due to Michelin donating their prize!) 
  • Best Presentation – Green Dream, composed of literal strangers (!) from Worchester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Buffalo, Davidson College and 7-Eleven, winning Google Nest hubs sponsored by Google

So What Was the Winning Solution for the Auto Aftermarket? 

Michelin utilized a dedicated machine learning model to forecast the scrap tires required, plus a “mixed integer” optimization algorithm often employed to solve large, complex problems, such as industrial symbiosis or large-scale process integration. More importantly, the solution sought to plot out the logistics of transporting tires from warehouse to recycler while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. 

But the best part of all that was the awards ceremony- a celebration of this solution for 200 attendees and problem solvers advocating for a greener and more sustainable future for our auto aftermarket.

What’s Next for the Industry?

Great things. Of course, thanks go to all sponsors for the event – 

  • American Tire Distributors for the financial support and hosted facility 
  • Continental for helping generate the challenge to make change 
  • Google for donating some really awesome hubs 
  • Snowflake for the sponsored SnoPro certification awards 

And, of course, BCG, Miracle Software Systems, IPG, Kipi.bi, Hercules Tires, 3Ci, Optomi, Vaco, and Vesel for entertainment, catering, drinks and swag. 

At the moment, we’re taking stock of the effort and collaboration along with brainstorming for the next Hackathon. A hackathon that may be bigger, better and even more competitive! 

So, we’ll see when the next competition comes our way. Until then, let’s get to work so we can continue creating solutions for the auto aftermarket! 

Check Out This Recap Video

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Torqata Selected as One of Charlotte Business Journal’s 2022 Best Places to Work

Despite labor shortages and employee turnover making headlines in this turbulent employment market, some businesses still seem to overcome all these challenges because they know what makes a business work: its people

Every year, Charlotte Business Journal publishes a list of the Best Places to Work – companies that put its people first and are great examples of a positive company culture. We are proud to announce that this year, Torqata was included in that list! 

On November 4th, some of our local team members were on hand at Topgolf to accept the plaque at the Best Places to Work awards event: Austin Sun, data engineering; Bret Leatherwood, product management; Melissa Duncan, business operations and HR; and Molly Stamey, customer success.  

The Three Top Benefits That Keep Top Talent Engaged at Torqata 

Perks, practices and policies: people get fired up over that. They invest in, fall in love with, and remain loyal to that – benefits like an all-remote environment, company values and culture centered around family, togetherness and camaraderie. More importantly, our growing contribution to the auto aftermarket industry says it all – we believe in what we do, and no doubt – so do our people who love us the most! 

As our own Melissa Duncan said: “Accepting the award was an acknowledgment of each and every piece – sometimes small! – that goes into the culture here at TQA.”