Conti closing former Goodyear Bowmanville

Continental AG’s ContiTech division is close the 100-year-old former Goodyear plant in Bowmanville, near Durham, North Carolina, USA in mid-2016. Workers were told the news on 13 November 2015.  The Bowmanville plant makes conveyor belts for mining, coal and tar sands operations and has reportedly been hit by slowing demand from the global mining industry.

The Bowmanville plant was originally a Goodyear plant and then later owned by Veyance Technologies Inc. and now ContiTech Continental.

According to the local press, the former Goodyear plant in Bowmanville plant is one of the biggest local manufacturing employers. With its closing 100 jobs are lost.

Local newspaper “Clarington This Week” reports that, during the Second World War, Bowmanville’s Goodyear plant made heels and soles for soldier’s boots, Bren gun clips, tarpaulin straps, mud flaps for field gun carriers and hoses, belts and gaskets. Two million feet of fire hose in 50-foot lengths were made at high speed to meet the emergency demand created by German air attacks on London, England.