GROSSE POINTE PARK, Mich. — Jacques Bajer, a one-time Ford Motor Co. engineer specializing in tires and founder and president of Tire Systems Engineering Inc., died May 7 at age 91.
Known for his work on the development of uniformity standards and OE specifications for tires, wheels and manufacturing consistency, Mr. Bajer was inducted into the Tire Industry Hall of Fame in 2006.
At that time, the Tire Industry Association said it based its decision on Mr. Bajer's work on designing advanced manufacturing systems for the economical mass production of tires, power transmission belts, lathe-cut seals and air springs. He also was involved in the development of the tire uniformity grading machine and low-profile tire while working for Ford Motor in the 1960s.
He was considered a key figure in the radialization of the U.S. tire market, both from his work at Ford Motor and as an adviser to Sears, Roebuck & Co. He holds a number of patents in these fields.
He founded Tire Systems Engineering in the early 1970s in Grosse Pointe Park as a base of operations from which he taught tire-related engineering and advised companies in the tire and automotive industry.
Born in Paris in 1929, Mr. Bajer moved to rural southern France in the early 1940s with his Jewish parents to escape deportation to Nazi Germany.
He emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1950s after studying engineering at France's Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. He worked at Ford from 1955 to 1970, where he was involved in the development of the tire uniformity grading machine and low-profile tire.
Mr. Bajer wrote a series of articles on tire technology for Tire Business in the 2010s.
Mr. Bajer is survived by his second wife, Anneliese; sons Christopher, Marc and Frédérique; five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
The family invites those wishing to acknowledge him to make donations to the "Memorial de la Shoah" in Paris.