Goodyear Gadsden Plant Plans to Expand

(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. will begin construction next week on a 204,000-square-foot expansion of its 78-year-old plant in Gadsden, Alabama, which company officials say will keep it operating for years to come. The expansion should be finished by the end of the year, and is part of a three-year project to renovate the plant and update its equipment, with an estimated cost of $125 million.

The Gadsden plant, with 2.8 million square feet of floor space, produces light truck, passenger and mini-spare tyres, and has been a dominant manufacturing presence in Gadsden since its opening in 1929. It is the city’s largest employer, with about 1,200 hourly employees, and state and local officials said it was vital to the city’s image and economy to keep it open.