History

The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company started in 1898 when Frank Seiberling purchased the company's first plant using money he borrowed from a brother-in-law. The rubber and cotton had to be transported from halfway around the world, to a landlocked town that had only limited rail transportation. Seiberling named the company after the courageous pioneer Charles Goodyear, the discoverer of vulcanisation. He also determined the distinctive winged-foot trademark that remains a symbolic link with the company's past.

Innovation

Innovation - the continuous flow of creative new ideas, products and materials - has always been at the very core of Goodyear's activities. The company established a major research facility in 1943, which has since received thousands of patents. Major inventions by Goodyear's scientists and technicians have been used not only in tyres and automotive products, but also in artificial hearts and joints, adhesives, artificial turf for playgrounds and food packaging, to name only a few. Goodyear Research was the training ground for Paul Flory, a Nobel laureate in the field of polymers. Two research associates have been awarded the Goodyear Medal, the highest award of the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, which honours scientists and engineers who have made outstanding innovations. Goodyear Research scientists and engineers today come from all over the world and continue working at the cutting edge of rubber and polymer science. They have also branched out into such diverse fields as computer science, physics, mathematics, engineering mechanics, metallurgy and others to create a myriad of unique materials and processes.

Goodyear Europe

"Goodyear's European presence began with the company's first London office in 1912. Brussels is now the home base of two business units controlling operations in the European Union and Eastern Europe, respectively. Goodyear is presently Europe's second-largest tyre maker. Among Goodyear's European facilities are two major, state-of-the-art proving grounds. The Goodyear Technical Centre in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg is the home of the company's tyre research and development efforts for Europe and Asia. It develops tyres for virtually every type of vehicle. Servicing Goodyear manufacturing plants worldwide, its staff of engineers, technicians and scientists provide tyre designs and specifications for products sold in more than 180 markets worldwide. The other major facility is the 445-acre, year-round proving ground in Mireval in southern France. Goodyear also has facilities in Poland, Slovenia, Germany and the Netherlands, with activities which include production of tyres, steel tyre cord, textiles, power transmissions, air springs and aero retreading."