Goodyear acquiring automated tire-inspection business

Akron, Ohio - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is acquiring automated tire inspection business Ventech Systems GmbH from German parent company Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH for an undisclosed amount.

Based in Dorsten, Germany, Ventech Systems was founded in 2006 and supplies measuring devices for the automotive vehicle industry.

In a 20 Sept statement, Goodyear said that Ventech offered “a fully-automated tire inspection system that quickly and easily checks tire pressure, tread depth and vehicle weight for buses, trucks, cars and other vehicles.”

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Ventech will  then be integrated into Goodyear's 'proactive solutions' business, which has been collaborating with the German company  for the last three years.

The goal of the collaboration has been to "integrate [Ventech''s] data-gathering and analysis capabilities into our fleet management solution," said Christopher Helsel, Goodyear vice president and chief technology officer.

According to Helsel, feedback from fleet customers has been “excellent”, prompting the takeover.

"Goodyear's strong market presence enables additional worldwide growth opportunities for Ventech Systems... in terms of process-optimisation, business efficiency and road safety," said Andreas Pietsch, Ventech COO and business manager.

Goodyear launched the proactive solutions unit in the EMEA region last year. Its remit is to enhance vehicle-to-fleet operations management tor fleet owners by improving safety, decreasing fuel use, reducing carbon footprint and supporting digitalisation of customer fleets.