Goodyear to add retreading at Wittlich unit

ERJ staff report (DS)

Hanau, Germany -- Goodyear is responding to increased demand for tyres in Europe by adding a premium truck retread unit at its Wittlich plant. The company expects to add around 90 jobs by September 2010. The investments will total euro 3.7 million.

The Wittlich plant makes passenger car and light truck tyres, but also commercial truck and industrial tyres. Goodyear currently has retreading poles at its facilities in Riom, France, and Wolverhampton, UK

Dr. Rainer Landwehr, Chairman of the Board of Goodyear Dunlop Tires Germany GmbH, said, "In the truck segment in particular, we are seeing considerable growth over last year, both in terms of OEM activities and in the replacement market.”

During 2009, the Wittlich site was affected by short-term production shutdowns and reduced working hours due to the economic crisis. During the short-time working, employees were given training and further education. The comapny said there were no layoffs at the plant, and the new investment will add a further 90 staff to the existing 900 employees.

Wittlich is home to Goodyear's European transportation and logistics center for truck tyres, making it the central storage location for truck tyres that are produced at other plants and intended for delivery to customers all over Europe. In addition, the European central warehouse for retreading material is located at the site.