Founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Akron, Ohio. It is one of the oldest, biggest and best-known tyremakers in the world. Goodyear makes tyres for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, racing cars, aeroplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery. Find all the news and analysis you need relating to Goodyear here.
Deldo Autobanden (Belgium) has already pre-sold over 1 million winter tyres. The vast majority of these are made up of sales of the company’s Eurowin, Sunny and Wanli products, but between 60,000 and 70,000 premium winter tyres have also been pre-ordered. Deldo made the announcement alongside the news that it is publishing a new winter catalogue for the 2006/2007 season.
Following Tyres & Accessories’ pioneering publication of online tyre brand penetration rankings last year, T&A has again enlisted the assistance of Cambridge-based e-marketing specialists Envisional. The report exclusively published in this month’s magazine shows some marked changes in the relatively short time since the 2005 survey.
While Michelin remained top of the virtual pile in terms of quantity, Pirelli beat the French tyre giant in terms of the quality of references to the brand. Goodyear and Dunlop showed that the two brands’ marketing investments have paid off. They remained relatively flat in terms of prominence, but made sharp improvements in terms of sentiment. In this respect (see magazine for sentiment chart) Dunlop jumped from fifth to second place overall, while Goodyear rose from sixth to fourth. Continental took the largest hit of the premium manufacturers, falling from third to sixth on the sentiment index. Interestingly, Uniroyal achieved the lowest number of negative references overall.
In the USA, Goodyear has introduced a new tyre to its Wrangler range, designed for working pickup trucks that regularly tow heavy loads. Called the Wrangler SilentArmor Pro-Grade, the tyre incorporates Kevlar belts and a new tread compound for extended treadwear. There are over 39 million registered pickup trucks on US roads and sales of heavy-duty models have increased as a proportion of total pickup sales, from 25.3 per cent in 2003 to 31.9 per cent last year.
(Akron/Tire Review) Even as both sides continue to pick over the fine print of the United Steelworkers (USW) new three-year master contract with Michelin North America, Goodyear and the Steelworkers reportedly remain far apart in their contract talks.
Goodyear’s union workers continue on the job, working on a day-to-day basis off their now expired contract. The USW’s deal with MNA has been established as the “pattern contract” for ongoing talks with Goodyear and now stalled talks with Bridgestone/Firestone.
Since Michelin launched “Energy” tyres in 1992, the products have prevented production of 23 million tonnes of CO2 and saved 9.5 billion litres of fuel, according to the company. The impressive environmental statistics were explained in a presentation made by Michelin to delegates attending the International Business Day immediately before the opening of the British International Motor Show at the end of July. The figures also hark back to other impressive claims the manufacturer made earlier in the year, ruffling a few feathers as it went.
(Akron/Tire Review) Even as Titan International adjusted its sales and earnings targets, more details emerged from its purchase of Continental Tire North America’s OTR tyre plant in Bryan, Ohio. Titan bought the Bryan tyre plant for $41.4 million in property, plant and equipment, and paid another $11.5 million for existing inventory. In additional, the deal gives Titan a license to sell OTR tyres under the General brand.
(Akron/Tire Review) The Lansing State Journal and other media have reported that GM and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. have come to an agreement that will continue OE tyre shipments to the automaker’s new assembly plant in Lansing. Last week, GM sued Goodyear after Goodyear allegedly cut tyre shipments to GM in a pricing dispute. There was no word if the agreement will cover shipments other than those for the Lansing facility.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. announced that it is expanding its DuraSeal product, a self-sealing commercial tyre technology, to more mixed-service tyres. Specifically, DuraSeal will now be available in the Unisteel G177 severe-service drive tyre. “Adding DuraSeal Technology to the rugged G177 will reduce vehicle downtime due to punctures,” said Rich Cottrell, product manager for mixed-service tyres.
Safety Seal recently conducted high speed tests on Run Flat and High Speed Tyres that had been repaired with Safety Seal tyre repair material. The repair of Run Flat tyres has been the subject of much discussion and there have been different positions taken by manufacturers depending on the type of construction and performance ratings of the tyre.
Godyear Tire & Rubber Co today reported second quarter sales of $5.1 billion (up 3 per cent on 2005), a record for any quarter. Segment operating income reached $267 million, with net income amounting to $2 million. According to the company, the sales growth reflects improved pricing and product mix driven by demand for the company’s branded tyres in the consumer replacement markets, and the favourable impact of currency translation. Revenue per tyre increased 7 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2005.
(Akron/Tire Review) The Macomb Daily has reported that General Motors has sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., accusing the Akron tyremaker of withholding tyres in an OE tyre pricing dispute. The suit, said the newspaper, was filed in Macomb County Circuit Court. According to the paper, the lawsuit claims Goodyear recently stopped delivering OE tyres for certain GM vehicles. The disagreement apparently stems from Goodyear’s efforts to increase OE contract pricing due to heavy raw material costs burdens.
(Akron/Tire Review) United Steelworkers Local 890 approved a new four-year master contract with Titan International, clearing the way for Titan to acquire the Continental Tire North America’s Bryan, Ohio, OTR tyre plant. The contract was ratified during a two-day vote by membership over July 29-30, with more than 80% approving the deal.
The 2007 Dodge Nitro will be exclusively equipped with Goodyear tyres. The Nitro is the first mid-size SUV for Dodge, and is recognized for its distinctive style, sporty performance and cargo flexibility. It features five passenger seating and a slide-out cargo floor for extra flexibility. The SLT and R/T models will be equipped with Goodyear Wrangler HP tryes in P245/50R20 size. For the base Nitro models, Goodyear provides tyres in P225/75R16 and P235/65R17 sizes. Export vehicles will be shipped with Goodyear Eagle RS-A tyres.
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. yesterday announced that as of Aug. 1 it was raising prices on its medium truck tyre lines by as much as 5 per cent. In addition, Goodyear also hiked prices on its retread products sold in North America by up to 5 per cent as of July 1. The increase, due to raw material, energy and transportation costs, covers the company’s Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly-Springfield brands.
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has announced the appointment of Mark Dilks as Brand and Market Planning Manager. Dilks will be responsible for developing the brand and market strategies for the company’s wide range of consumer tyre brands, including Goodyear, Dunlop, Fulda, Falken and Sava.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
