Further investment in Goodyear’s Lawton, US factory

An upgrade to Goodyear’s Lawton facility in Oklahoma, USA will increase its capability to produce consumer tyres in sizes up to and including 24-inch fitments. The US$27.5 million project will see the plant’s footprint enlarged by 15,600 square feet (around 1,500 square metres) and the addition of curing presses capable of accommodating the larger rim diameter tyres.

This investment is the latest step in a project to move into the production of high margin, larger-sized tyres. Last year, five older tyre building machines in the Lawton plant were replaced by three automated units capable of manufacturing up to 24-inch sized tyres, and upgrades were also made to the plant’s mixing equipment. Equipment for applying noise-reducing foam into tyres has also been installed, and plant emission control systems have been upgraded. Total investments in the Lawton site over the past few years exceed $100 million.