(Akron/Tire Review) Dr Georg Bohm, vice president of research for Bridgestone Americas’ Centre for Research and Technology (BACRT) has announced plans to retire as of 1 May. Dr Hiroshi Mouri, BACRT president, will assume Dr Bohm’s responsibilities at BACRT.
(Akron/Tire Review) Dan Wire, well-known CEO and chairman of Treadways Corp, has announced that he will retire in early 2006. Mr Wire, who said he will remain as an advisor/consultant to Sumitomo Corporation of America and Treadways until April 2008, will retire effective at the end of Treadways’ next financial year on 31 March 2006.
(Akron/Tire Review) According to reports, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. sent a summary of its latest master contract proposal directly to striking Texarkana, Ark., plant workers last week, urging them to seek union permission to vote on the proposal.
The Texarkana Gazette reported that in the proposal and a letter from Cooper negotiating team to members of United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 752, Cooper officials said “it is important for you to see the entire final proposal that is on the table so you can make your own decisions as to whether this is a fair contract.”
(Texarkana/Tire Review) Talks between Cooper Tire & Rubber Co and members of USWA Local 752 at Cooper’s Texarkana, Arkansas, tyre plant reportedly broke off 14 March, leaving the passenger and light truck/SUV tyre plant operating on a skeleton crew as union workers picket outside.
Michelin managing partners Edouard Michelin and René Zingraff will propose that Mr Michel Rollier takes up the position of managing partner, according to a company statement. The existing managing partners will formally make the proposal when the company has its annual general meeting on 20 May.
Goodyear has fired three of its European managers, obviously holding them responsible for what the company calls accounting errors. Scialom (Vice President Finance Europe), McKnight (Managing Director Sales Countries) and his finance manager Loysen have bitten the dust. As far as it is known the three were given no reason for the notice, at this stage. Spokesmen for the group even refused to comment as to whether the three had been fired or had taken retirement. Goodyear is under formal investigation by the SEC and had to inform the public yesterday yet again, that it had found more accounting errors in the US, in the region of 16 million US dollars. Analysts are now concerned that Goodyear could be too busy dealing with these alleged improper actions instead of leading the company into a much needed turnaround.
Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. Chairman, CEO and President John Lampe has announced that he will retire on March 31, 2004. He will be replaced by Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire LLC (BFNT) Chairman, CEO and President Mark Emkes. Emkes will retain his existing position as chair and CEO of BFNT. Lampe will remain on Bridgestone Americas Holding’s board of directors at the request of both Emkes and parent company Bridgestone Corp.
Ernest H. Zielasko has died after a short illness. He was 84. Zielasko was for many years editor and publisher of Modern Tire Dealer and in 1971 was co-founder of Rubber & Plastics News. He sold the publication in 1976 to Crain Communications to finance the best possible medical treatment for his son Jeff, who died at the age of 19. In the book ‘Jeff’s Denial’ he described his memories and son’s fight against leukaemia. Until his retirement in 1986 Ernest Zielasko worked as Vice President for Crain’s Rubber Industry Publications. His son David is editor of Tire Business.
Scott & Scott, LLC a law firm with offices in Connecticut and California, announced a securities fraud class action against The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. The complaints filed by the law firm have cited various individual defendants including Samir G. Gibara, Robert W. Tieken, Robert J. Keegan, and Stephanie W. Bergeron.
Only days after signing new master labour agreements with unions in the USA, Ford and DaimlerChrysler have announced comprehensive job-cutting plans. Ford will lose 12,000 jobs worldwide (1,700 in Europe), while DCX will offer early retirement packages to “thousands of US workers” according to reports. One unconfirmed press story suggests that DCX could close up to nine US factories as the car makers face a downturn described as “the most severe that the industry has suffered.”
Ford is aiming to lose 1,700 jobs in Europe, by offering voluntary early retirement to workers at two factories in Germany. A similar move is expected at the Ford factory in Gent, Belgium, while workers in the UK have already been offered early retirement.
Next week Fiat will announce details of its restructuring plans, which are expected to see worldwide job cuts of 10,000, many of which are likely to be in the US operations of Case New Holland. 1,000 jobs will go in Italy, through early retirement. Fiat chief executive Giuseppe Morchio will announce detailed plans on Thursday 26th and it is said that greater emphasis will be placed on R&D in the future.
Rudolph (Rudy) A. Schlais Jr. has been elected to the Board of Directors of Superior Industries. Until his retirement in May last year, he was Group Vice President of GM Corp. and President and CEO of GM Asia Pacific, overseeing GM’s entry into China as well as pushing the group forward in other markets.
In an attempt to maintain strong results in Spain and to meet future challenges Michelin Spain has announced plans to reduce its staff by 1200 employees over the next three years. The reduction will come from a number of measures which will include early retirement and redeployment. The plan will see the closure of Michelin’s steel wheel plant in Aranda in 2005. Work will be transferred to plants in France and Germany. 600 workers will be affected by this move. The rest of the losses will be at Valladolid and Lasarte. Once detail agreement with the unions has been arranged the plans will be submitted to the Spanish government for approval in compliance with Spanish law.
The new Managing Director at the Goodyear Technical Centre in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg (GTC*L) is Jean Bergh (59) after the retirement of Theo Famulok. Famulok has headed up the 900 technicians at Goodyear’s R & D centre since 1994. 900 technicians in Luxembourg develop car, truck and agricultural tyres for Europe as well as for the Asian and African markets.
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