The North American and Latin American businesses of Goodyear Tire & Rubber are to be combined into one Americas business unit, effective as of January 2016.
“While the two former regions approach their markets differently, there also are many increasing similarities, especially the growth of high-value-added tires,” said Goodyear chairman and CEO Richard J Kramer. “This new organization is structured to accelerate growth and maximize earnings over time through simplicity, speed and an intense focus on our customers and markets.”
The combined business will serve customers and consumers more effectively and efficiently by integrating processes such as product development, market forecasting and product supply. All manufacturing plants in the combined region – including the new Americas plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, scheduled to open in 2017 – will be leveraged to serve all customers in Mexico, Latin America and North America. The new structure will give Goodyear greater flexibility to anticipate market changes and react faster to them.
The Americas business unit will be led by Stephen R McClellan, current president of Goodyear’s North America business. Marcelo Toscani, present VP of global manufacturing, will serve as president of the company’s Latin America operations and report to McClellan.
Meanwhile, the company has named Jean-Claude Kihn, the current president of Goodyear’s Latin America business, as president of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business. Kihn will assume his new role as of January, 2016.
December 8, 2015
