New GROOVE GLOVE™ Handheld Laser Measurement Software Solution Named 2014 SEMA New Product Award Winner

CHICAGO (November 4, 2014) – This morning, the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) announced the winners of their New Products Showcase Awards, and Tire Profiles™ new Groove Glove™ handheld laser measurement system was named as the winner in the Tools and Equipment Product category.

The Groove Glove™, a first of its kind laser powered tread depth and alignment measurement instrument that fits in the palm of your hand. Ideal for service centers and tire retailers, the Groove Glove allows technicians to quickly complete a vehicle scan anywhere in the service facility.Here’s how it works: The Groove Glove™ features lasers that measure over 400 points across the tire. The system then utilizes Tire Profiles’ “cloud” based software to compute the tread wear, calculate the tread depth and determine if the wear indicates an alignment is needed. This is the same powerful software used by the Tire Profiles – TreadSpec drive over products. All that’s needed is a wireless signal. Within seconds the TreadTracker™ consumer report is created and becomes a powerful tool to engage the consumer and dramatically increase tire and alignment sales.

In addition to being durable, lightweight, and portable, the Groove Glove features an integrated touch screen display for a clear and easy user interface, a bar code scanner for vehicle ID, and a camera for license plate recognition. It also uses an onboard gyroscope and accelerometer for accurate measurements.
“We are honored to have Groove Glove named as a best new product at SEMA,” said David Boyle, COO of Tire Profiles Inc. “To be able to announce our newest product and showcase it in front of all of the show attendees are a great way to introduce this new technology. For it to be recognized as the best in its category is a great bonus.”

Along with the new Groove Glove hand-held unit, TreadSpec offers two installed options to maximize busy service center space. The Service Bay unit is designed to be operated by shop staff and can be located anywhere in the facility. The staff member simply pulls the vehicle on the equipment, scans the front wheels, then pulls forward to scan the rear wheels. Total evaluation time is 30 seconds or less.

Nearly 2,000 products were entered into 16 different categories to be considered for the SEMA New Product Awards this year. Winners were selected based on a variety of factors that included quality, marketability, innovation, technology, consumer appeal, and more.