GSCW chat recap: How blockchain can transform tire distribution

‘It’s not easy to distribute heavy tires. … Delivering those in the most optimal way takes another cut of analytical prowess’

Rak-Joon Choi, a vice president with American Tire Distributors, says blockchain technology can bring more efficiency and transparency to supply chains.

This fireside chat recap is from Day 4 of FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week. Day 4 focuses on automotive.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Applying blockchain to tire distribution 

DETAILS: Going beyond buzzwords, Rak-Joon Choi, an American Tire Distributors vice president, talks with FreightWaves’ Clay Katzman about how blockchain technology can bring more efficiency and transparency to supply chains through data sharing. 

SPEAKER: Choi of American Tire Distributors 

BIO: Choi is the vice president for blockchain and supply chain digitization at American Tire Distributors and a former IBM executive.

KEY QUOTES FROM CHOI:

“Tires are probably not the sexiest product out there compared to your iPhone. … It’s not easy to distribute heavy tires. Those tires are big, clunky products that get stacked up into trucks. Delivering those in the most optimal way takes another cut of analytical prowess.”

“There’s a hypothesis that blockchain will help transform the supply chain by building a common data platform, helping transform some of the inefficient processes, potentially automate them and then drive more value for the participants.”

“If there’s a way to do business better by sharing certain data in our ecosystem, to make things a little bit more clear, a little bit more automated and more valuable, there’s a huge potential to bring more efficiency to the market and create new business models.”

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Nate Tabak

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Fraud & Security

Freight Fraud Symposium

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

May 20, 2026
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH
Register Now
AI & Technology

Supply Chain AI Symposium

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

July 15, 2026
The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL
Register Now
Rail & Policy

Future of Rail Symposium

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

July 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium May 20 • Cleveland, OH

Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame • Cleveland, OH Register Now
AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Jul 15 • Chicago, IL

Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain.

The Old Post Office • Chicago, IL Register Now
Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Jul 28 • Chattanooga, TN

Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now