Torque from the Top – Pravesh Amtha, recent sales general manager Consumer UK & Ireland at Goodyear

One of the world’s largest tyre companies, Goodyear employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 55 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centres in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. Recently, Goodyear completed the acquisition of Cooper Tire & Rubber, which is a great place to start this month’s Torque from the Top Q&As – an ongoing series of interviews with leading executives. Our interviewee this month is Pravesh Amtha was recently sales general manager Consumer UK & Ireland at Goodyear but has now moved onto “an expanded leadership role managing a portfolio of strategic business projects across Goodyear’s EMEA business”.

Tyres & Accessories: The acquisition of Cooper Tire & Rubber has been approved. What does this mean for the UK operations of the group? Will there be synergies in manufacturing, marketing and R&D, and will the various group brands have their own, discrete channels of distribution?

Pravesh Amtha: Goodyear’s acquisition of Cooper is incredibly exciting. Together, we have a strong position in the global tyre industry, an expanded ability to service customers with an offering of high-quality brands, a strong financial foundation, and an increased scale – enabling us to invest in new mobility and fleet solutions. As the businesses undergo a thorough integration process, we do not expect immediate changes. For now, it’s very much business as usual.

The news that the Goodyear Blimp had returned to European skies prompted intense interest, it even resulted in flights above some of Britain’s favourite skylines… (Photo: Goodyear)

T&A: Goodyear has announced plans to expand its TruckForce network in the UK after reportedly gaining a significant number of new fleet customers recently. Are these gains the result of new initiatives, such as DrivePoint TPMS and SightLine for cargo van fleets, and is Goodyear moving away from being “just” a supplier of tyres and to more of ”a mobility specialist”?

PA: In short, yes! We recognised the complexities in the transport industry and trends towards sustainability and digitalisation. Back in 2019 we launched Goodyear Total Mobility to become the mobility provider of choice for fleets, with an end-to-end offer including leading performance tyres, connected and advanced tyre monitoring such as Goodyear DrivePoint, TPMS and Drive-Over-Reader and interoperable fleet management solutions (including ZF Transics FMS) – all backed by the support of a pan-Europe service network including TruckForce.

T&A: A pilot scheme has just been launched in Germany for selling tyres online. Are there plans to introduce a similar plan in the UK and other countries, and if so, when?

PA: While we have no news to share about a similar plan for the UK & Ireland at present, the new eCommerce Solution, which was launched as a pilot in Germany in late 2020, has been well received. It provides a simple, convenient way for consumers to select and purchase the right tyres online directly from Goodyear. Similar concepts have also been launched in Poland and France and we are seeing increased consumer engagement through our websites.

Goodyear relatively recently returned to motorsports with a bang. How much of the impetus behind this is for technical and research reasons, and how much for marketing? Read this month’s Torque from the Top interview with Pravesh Amtha, sales general manager Consumer UK & Ireland at Goodyear for the answer (Photo: Goodyear)

T&A: Goodyear has recently returned to motorsports with a bang. How much of the impetus behind this is for technical and research reasons, and how much for marketing?

PA: First and foremost, we want to develop race-winning tyres. Goodyear has always had a rich history in motorsport, and to this day, our tyres are run in some of the world’s most exciting racing championships. The tyres that we use on track are developed alongside our range of Eagle F1 SuperSport tyres, designed for performance road-going and track-day cars. This ensures that we transfer technology and knowledge between the road and race ranges to benefit the performance of both. Through racing, Goodyear is also positioned in front of the most discerning buyers – motorsport fans.

T&A: Also on the subject of motorsports, Goodyear is a founding partner of, and exclusive tyre supplier to, the PURE ETCR all-electric touring car series, supplying a single spec Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport tyre with a special tread. In what way is this tyre special?

PA: PURE ETCR set Goodyear the challenge of supporting championship’s focus on sustainability and reduced environmental impact by developing just one tyre specification for use in all conditions.

Using our Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport as the foundation, our road and race tyre designers worked together at our Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg) and Hanau (Germany) sites to create the PURE ETCR Eagle F1 SuperSport specification.

The tyre was developed to carry the 1750 kg four-wheel-drive beasts and manage their immense amounts of torque. It has a very similar appearance to the road tyre, and shared technologies include the Power Shoulder and High Force Construction features, which are key for maximising performance on both road cars and in the PURE ETCR race cars.

Goodyear has announced plans to expand its TruckForce network in the UK after reportedly gaining a significant number of new fleet customers could moves like this be a signal that Goodyear is moving away from being “just” a supplier of tyres and to more of ”a mobility specialist”? (Photo: Goodyear)

T&A: Finally, intense interest has been shown in the news that the Goodyear blimp is once again cruising the skies of Europe. While it cannot be denied that the craft is a spectacular advert for the company and its awareness value must be incalculable, does it earn its keep in hard cash terms (for instance being hired out for TV coverage of sporting events) or is it just an – admittedly beautiful – vanity project?

PA: Our history spans more than just tyres, with Goodyear having produced its first airships in 1917 for the U.S. Navy. Now, our fleet of four Goodyear Blimps tour the skies of Europe and the U.S. acting as a symbol of our iconic brand. In addition, the Goodyear Blimps provide aerial coverage of major motorsport events through our partnership with Eurosport. It also supports case studies for school STEM projects and offers exclusive flights to VIP guests. The tour of Europe’s skies this year, which saw the Goodyear Blimp fly across central London and the South Coast, has been a huge success, despite challenges from Covid.