Goodyear expanding Lawton tyre plant

ERJ staff report (TB)

Lawton, Oklahoma -- Goodyear has begun construction on a 200,000-sq.-ft. expansion of its Lawton, Oklahoma tyre plant, but the company is declining to discuss the nature or value of the expansion in detail.

Akron-based Goodyear broke ground on the project in February but has disclosed little if any information about the project publicly, other than to say it's the first phase of a multi-year modernisation project.

Industrial Info Resources Inc., a provider of global industrial market intelligence, reported recently the project is valued at $150 million. Goodyear declined to comment on that report.

This is the first major investment/expansion at the 32-year-old, 2 million-sq.-ft. Lawton plant since a $250 million project in 2002-2006 to add capacity for larger-diameter passenger and light truck tyres.

Production capacity is listed at 66,000 units a day at the non-unionized plant, which employs 2,400.

From Tire Business (A Crain publication)