Goodyear Plants Out of Action Following Hurricane Ike

Goodyear doesn’t like Ike. The hurricane that struck the Texas, US coastline on September 13 has affected the company’s operations in the area, with operations at three of its petrochemical plants suspended. About 1,000 employees have been unable to perform their duties as a result.

“We have three plants in the Houston area. There’s one in Houston, there’s one in Bayport and there’s one in Beaumont,” explained Goodyear spokesman Keith Price. “We’re still assessing the situation at these three chemical plants, as well as at our retail locations in the area. Like everyone else, we took the plants down before the hurricane hit.” Price added that Goodyear has yet to determine what, if any, damage has occurred at the facilities, as a lack of electricity in the area is limiting the company’s ability to conduct assessments.

So far, however, the storm’s impact has not forced Goodyear to idle any tyre manufacturing operations that rely on the Texas plants for the supply petroleum-based synthetic rubber. Price said the company’s business continuity team has been working since the storm hit to make sure Goodyear has the synthetic rubber it needs, at least in the short term, from other supply points. “We don’t anticipate any immediate impact on tire production,” he said.

The Goodyear spokesman added that the company is not yet able to predict how long operations at the factories will be suspended.