Goodyear's first Research and Development centre comes up at China's Pulandian plant

Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company has established its first research and development centre in China. The American tyre manufacturer has come up with the R&D facility at its Pulandian plant in Liaoning Province. It will be focused on product customisation for Original Equipment fitments and project support services, supplementing the core tyre technology development that takes place at Goodyear’s Global Innovation Centres in Akron (Ohio, US) and Colmar-Berg (Luxembourg). According to Goodyear, the new facility in China will make the process of manufacturing high-value tyres faster, especially for China-based vehicle manufacturers.

Goodyear says that locating the centre in Pulandian will support its market-backed innovation approach. It will allow for more direct interactions between customers and designers and facilitate the build-up of local capabilities. It will also permit the company to develop new Original Equipment platforms in China, including those for new energy vehicles.

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Kramer said, “China is the world’s largest and fastest-growing market for passenger cars and commercial trucks and critical to Goodyear’s growth strategy. The new China development centre will be an integral part of our network of global innovation centres and strengthen our innovation leadership role in the global tyre industry.”

Kramer added, “The time is right for us to increase our capabilities in China to ensure we remain first with our customers. We have built strong relationships with original equipment manufacturers and our investment in this new development centre will allow us to expand our new product offerings, accelerate our speed to market and increase the value we deliver to these key customers.”