AKRON-Goodyear said its nationwide network of company-owned retread plants already has broken sales and production records for the full year. By the end of August, Goodyear retread output was 10 percent ahead of the previous 12-month record set in 1991, according to Tom L. Ford III, general manager of retread systems and Goodyear's Commercial Tire and Service Centers. More specific figures were not available.
Goodyear operates retread plants at 49 of it 86 Commercial Tire & Service Centers nationwide and produces nearly 4,000 retreaded commercial tires daily.
2 workers killed at BFS tire plant
WILSON, N.C.-Inspectors from North Carolina's Occupational Safety and Health Administration continue to investigate a Sept. 9 explosion and fire that killed two welders at Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.'s Wilson plant.
Jesse Taylor, 61, and Harold Peele, 60-employees of A.B. Electric Service Inc.-were installing a gauge on a 100,000-gallon oil storage tank when the tragedy occurred.
Both workers were badly burned and fell from the 25-foot high tank. The men later died of complications resulting from their burns, a BFS spokesman said.
The fire, which did an estimated $150,000 damage, quickly put itself out. However, the explosion ruptured the top of the oil tank, while a valve at the bottom opened, leaking about 40,000 gallons of fuel oil.
The oil, which was contained in an enclosed spill area and pumped into tankers, never posed an environmental threat, the spokesman said.
The Wilson plant uses the oil in the winter to fuel its boilers. The accident did not affect tire production at the factory, which currently is operating on natural gas.-By Marty Whitford, Crain News Service.
Oliver to close European unit
ATHENS, Ga.-Oliver Rubber Co. has decided to close its European subsidiary, Oliver Europa, and refocus its sales and marketing efforts on other parts of the world.
The decision, based on a thorough evaluation of its European tread rubber operations, will take place gradually, Oliver said, to allow customers time to locate other sources of supply.
Awards
General Tire's manufacturing facility in Mount Vernon, Ill., has been named one of ``America's Ten Best Plants'' by Industry Week magazine-the first time a tire plant has been recognized in the five years of the ranking.
General said the magazine's editors selected the plant from among 118 nominations.
Three WIX Corp. employees-Bruce Bakke, sales manager; Vann Lanier, manager of applied technology; and Ron Puckett, product engineer-have received the General Manager's Excellence Award from the Plastic and Trim Products Division of Ford Motor Co. for their work in introducing the first conical air filter.
The unique design results in reduced weight, improved filter efficiency and capacity, reduced cost of the air induction system and increased horsepower, WIX said.
The new filter debuted in the 1994 Ford Mustang and will be original equipment in all 1995 Ford models, the company said.
Racing notes
Seventeen months and 6,500 test miles into its program to develop a Firestone tire for Indy Car racing, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. said Oct. 8 it has a competitive tire and is ready to race, but will continue testing and development until the start of the 1995 racing season next March.
Goodyear racing tires rolled to their 300th consecutive Indy Car victory Sept. 4 in Vancouver, British Columbia-one of the longest winning streaks in sports, the firm said, having begun Sept. 22, 1974.
Yokohama Tire Corp. completed its most successful season yet in International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) competition Oct. 1 in Phoenix. Yokohama-shod Nissan cars captured championships in Exxon Supreme Series' GT Supreme and GTU divisions.
BFGoodrich-equipped teams won championships in all four divisions of the Mickey Thompson Stadium Off-Road Racing series in which they compete: Grand National Sport Truck; Sport Utility Ultra Stock; Super 1600; and SuperLite.
The series' final event was Oct. 8 in Denver.
In brief...
Goodyear has received a two-year, $8.7 million contract to supply its Wrangler and Unisteel light truck tires to the U.S. Postal Service, beginning Nov. 1.
For the second consecutive year, the state of Illinois has awarded General Tire a one-year contract to supply police pursuit tires. The value of the contract was not disclosed, but it involves V-rated General XP2000V4 high performance and H-rated XP2000AS all-season radials.