En Englais: Goodyear places cornerstone for new plant in Mexico

SAN LUIS POTOSI, Mexico — Goodyear recently completed the laying of the foundation stone for its new production plant in San Luis Potosi.

The factory — which will be under construction over the next two years at an investment of between $500 million and $550 million — will produce 6 million passenger and light truck tires annually. They will be predominantly “high value-added” (HVA) models such as the Eagle F1 and Wrangler All-Terrain Adventure, Jean-Claude Kihn, a 27-year Goodyear veteran, told Tire Business earlier this year at the plant's groundbreaking ceremony. He has been president of Goodyear Latin America since November 2014. 

Production is slated to begin in mid-2017.

Goodyear said that setting the facility's cornerstone in place “reaffirms the company's commitment to the market and the growth of its dealer network,” and also is a sign of the Akron-based tire maker's ongoing work to provide to consumers in Mexico and the world “the best portfolio of products.”

Dr. Juan Manuel Carreras, constitutional governor of San Luis Potosi, along with Goodyear executives including Richard J. Kramer, president and CEO, participated in the cornerstone ceremony, which also was attended by state authorities, representatives of the tire maker's extensive network of distributors, company employees and the media. 

The laying of the foundation stone, according to Goodyear, is a symbol of the commitment it made seven months ago with San Luis Potosi, with Mexico and with its dealers.

The company recently began a recruitment campaign to find workers for the plant and reported that during a two-day event it fielded inquiries from about 2,000 prospective employees “in various fields, with extensive experience, skills and interest in working with the company.”

Goodyear said it is “confident that with all the interest and skills displayed by companies and Potosinos applicants, coupled with experience, innovation and the quality of Goodyear worldwide,” that the company will “continue to offer the market the best HVA tires” — some which will be manufactured at the San Luis Potosi plant.

It also pledged that the facility will utilize the most advanced Goodyear technologies and will be a “zero waste to landfill” plant that also uses natural gas, LED lighting and energy saving methods.