The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company intends to permanently end production at its Gadsden factory in Alabama, USA. The company says this closure comes as part of its strategy to “strengthen the competitiveness of its manufacturing footprint by curtailing production of tyres for declining, less profitable segments of the tyre market.”
Bridgestone EMIA has resumed production at its European manufacturing plants in Bari (Italy) and Lanklaar (Belgium). The Béthune (France) plant will reopen tomorrow, 21 April 2020. This follows the 14 April news that production in all Bridgestone plants located in Spain (Burgos, Bilbao and Puente San Miguel) and Russia (Ulyanovsk) had recommenced. Today’s announcement means that Bridgestone EMIA’s full manufacturing network has restarted production with the exception of its Indian and South African plants, which remain closed for now.
Michelin’s plan to close its truck tyre factory in La Roche-sur-Yon, France took a step forward last Thursday when it signed an employee support agreement with four trade unions. This agreement with the CFDT, CFE‑CGC, SUD and FO unions followed 12 weeks of negotiations that took place between October and January.
The Michelin Group informed the 619 employees at its tyre production facility in La Roche-sur-Yon, France this morning that it will close the site by the end of next year. In addition, 74 people at Michelin’s Cholet plant, employees working in roles related to the supply of rubber mixed to the La Roche-sur-Yon site, are also affected by the closure.
Michelin calculates that closing its tyre factory in Dundee will cost the company £240 million until the end of 2021, however it expects to partially offset this cost with £60 million of savings during this period and then make annual savings of £40 million thereafter.
According to a statement issued on 7 September, Pirelli has disposed of its car tyre factory in Guacara, Venezuela and all other activities within the country. As Pirelli’s Venezuelan subsidiary was deconsolidated as far back as 31 December 2015, the tyre maker says the operation’s divestment “has no financial effects on the group.”
After a stoppage of two days, Pirelli’s tyre factory in Guacara, Venezuela is said to be operating again. Venezuelan daily El Universal reports that the country’s Ministry of Labour has intervened in the matter, and this led to production recommencing on 29 August.
The Pirelli factory in Guacara, Venezuela hasn’t escaped the economic turmoil the country is currently experiencing, and plant workers received a nasty surprise upon arriving for yesterday’s shift. Local news sources report that the factory has been shuttered as it lacks the raw materials needed to maintain production. Pirelli is also allegedly unable to pay the wages of its 704 unionised workers and approximately 175 other employees in Guacara following the introduction of currency reforms on 20 August.
Production at the Michelin tyre plant in Ballymena, Northern Ireland came to an end last week. Although the facility won’t officially close until 30 June, The Belfast Telegraph writes that production ended last Wednesday, with the final tyre finished the following day.
Operations at the Firestone Fibers and Textiles plant in Woodstock, Canada will cease by the end of next year, reports Bridgestone Canada Inc. The company’s decision to close the facility, whose product portfolio includes reinforcement materials for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, will affect a total of 170 employees. Bridgestone intends to close the plant in phases, beginning 31 December 2017 and culminating in the total cessation of operations in the second half of 2018.
When Goodyear Tire & Rubber first announced an intention to close its tyre factory in Philippsburg, Germany, it said it would do so by the end of 2017. The company now reports that the tyre manufacture will end at the site mid-year. In a press statement, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany says that, together with employee representatives, agreed to wind production up by 31 July.
It appears that Goodyear Tire & Rubber’s will close its passenger car and light commercial vehicle tyre factory in Philippsburg, Germany by the end of next year, subject to consultation with relevant employee representative bodies. A ‘Form 8-K’ report published by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on 20 October states that Goodyear “expects to be substantially complete with this rationalisation plan by the end of 2017,” and estimates total pre-tax charges associated with the plant closure will be “between US$240 million and $280 million.”
Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany has released a statement regarding the planned closure of its tyre factory in Philippsburg, northwest of Stuttgart. The closure will occur as part of the tyre maker’s efforts to reduce overcapacity for low-margin products. A timetable for winding-down production in Philippsburg has not yet been made public, and the plant’s closure will follow negotiations with employee unions. Some 890 jobs are expected to be lost.
In what it calls a “series of decisions that adapt its industrial and service activities in Clermont-Ferrand,” French tyre maker Michelin has announced the closure of a retreading facility at its headquarters site and a further 164 job cuts in its Engineering operation. At the same time, the company has outlined plans to invest €90 million into projects at three Clermont-Ferrand locations.
Dark clouds currently hang over Via del Garda in Rovereto, Italy. Around 290 workers at the Marangoni Group’s headquarters site have been on strike since yesterday, prompted by a decision taken by their representative union last Friday. The workers are fighting for the future of their jobs and fear for the future of their employer. According to local media, company CEO Massimo de Alessandri has described Marangoni’s situation as “increasingly difficult.” Many of those affected are questioning the company’s future and worry that Marangoni plans to lay off up to 50 per cent of the site’s workforce. Speaking with Tyres & Accessories, de Alessandri stated that such a reduction is a matter “of pure speculation” promoted by insecure workers and unions.
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