AKRON—Goodyear expects to increase efficiency and reduce costs by relocating its Latin America regional headquarters to Akron from Sao Paulo, Brazil, beginning in 2015.
Over the next year, between 30 and 50 positions in the regional office will transition to Goodyear's corporate headquarters building in Akron, a company spokesman said.
The tire maker's regional headquarters has been in Sao Paulo since 2005, when it moved from Akron.
The spokesman said the action applies only to the Latin American regional headquarters, and the company's Brazil country office will remain in Sao Paulo.
“We continue to be totally committed to Brazil, where we have had operations for 96 years,” he told Tire Business in an email.
Goodyear has no plans to relocate either its EMEA or Asia Pacific regional offices to Akron.
The move to Akron is, according to the spokesman, being made for three main reasons:
c Moving the regional leadership team out of Brazil “will ensure a balanced focus on countries and clusters where we want to grow and increase market relevance.”
c The move will enable the region's leaders to take full advantage of the resources available in Goodyear's global headquarters. In addition, it will increase opportunities for the team to engage with Goodyear's global organization and build global capabilities.
c The move will reduce costs and increase efficiency in the company's Latin America business, which represents about 11 percent, or $2 billion, of Goodyear's global sales.