GoodYear

A traditional American rubber company boasts 125 years of service. Named after the inventor of vulcanization, the company has grown from a poker chip shop to a huge tire concern in less than 20 years.

About the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Thousands of technical breakthroughs, improvements, inventions, firsts and breakthrough innovations are associated with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company brand. With a presence on six continents, the company boasts the title of the world's largest tire manufacturer. The company's annual sales are more than $15 billion. In addition to Goodyear tires, the company also manufactures several other tire brands such as Dunlop, Kelly, Fulda, Lee, Sava and Debica. The tyres manufactured by Goodyear boast high quality, which has been proven in countless reputable tests.

History

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 when Frank Seiberling purchased his first workshop. Although he was not very wealthy, his brother-in-law loaned him the money to buy the shop and helped create one of the largest rubber companies in the world. The name Goodyear was chosen by Seiberling in honor of Charles Goodyear, who invented the vulcanization process. The winged shoe was chosen as the logo, which is still used to identify Goodyear products today. In the beginning, the company had 13 employees whose job was to create bicycle tyres, horseshoe pads and poker chips. It was the experience gained in creating bicycle tyres that led to the company's rapid expansion in the early 20th century, when the automotive industry boomed and Goodyear was immediately able to switch to passenger car tyres. By 1916, the company had such potential that it could afford to print its bold new advertising slogan - "More people ride on Goodyear tires than on all other brands combined". By 1926, Goodyear had become the largest rubber company in the world. In the following years, the company successfully attempted to penetrate the international market. In the interwar years, the company became involved in the production of aircraft tyres. At the end of the 1990s, Goodyear faced financial problems and laid off a large number of employees, and in 1991 the company was restructured, after which the company regained internal stability. At the beginning of the 21st century, the company began to focus on the Asian market and opened plants in China.

Operations

The company recently renewed a contract with Zeppelin to build airships. Goodyear is also involved in the field of racing tires. It is the most successful tyre supplier in Formula One history and the exclusive tyre supplier to the NASCAR series.