AKRON — Goodyear has begun offering voluntary buyouts to certain employees at its Gadsden, Ala., tire plant as part of the company's strategy to strengthen its U.S. competitiveness by curtailing the production of tires for less profitable segments of the tire market.

AKRON — For all but a handful of the world's leading tire makers, the first six months of 2019 has been a challenging period that has resulted in nearly universal reductions in earnings and lackluster sales growth.

AKRON — Capital spending on new capacities by the world's leading tire makers fell measurably in the past dozen months, to roughly $4 billion, but the total includes plans for seven greenfield factories.

AKRON — For most of the world's major tire makers, 2018 was a flat year saleswise, leading to another year of status quo at the top of the Global Tire Report ranking compiled annually since 1986 by Tire Business.

DELAND, Fla. — Boulevard Tire Center of Deland, a longtime Bandag retread licensee, has acquired 10 GCR Tires & Service stores in Florida and Georgia, expanding its footprint to 26 commercial tire outlets in Florida and two in Georgia.

LAREDO, Texas — Love's Travel Stops Inc. has opened a retread plant and tire distribution facility in Laredo, its fifth retread plant nationwide, providing greater coverage to an important market area.

AKRON — The impact of automotive aftermarket business collectives — franchises, marketing groups, buying groups, affinity groups, etc. — throughout the U.S. and Canada continues to grow as independent business owners seek to remain relevant in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

NEW ORLEANS — Big O Tires franchisees have a new arrow in their sale-closing quiver thanks to a secondary financing business arrangement the franchisor has struck with EasyPay Finance.

SUWANEE, Ga. — Maxxis Tire International – USA has launched a dealer marketing program called Accelerate that company executives see as a critical first step in the company's plans for expanding its automotive-related business in North America.

TUSTIN, Calif. — The 2020 Corvette is the first mid-engine version of Chevrolet's iconic two-seat sports car in its 60-plus-year history – and the first Corvette to come OE with all-season tires.

CLEVELAND — Myers Industries Inc.'s ongoing revamp of its Myers Tire Supply distribution business is designed to make the firm more efficient and responsive to customers, while also controlling costs internally.

MONTREAL — Group Michelin has agreed to work with Einride A.B. to help develop the Swedish company's self-driving electric trucks by employing a number of the autonomous units at its operations in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

MONTREAL — Michelin Group, in partnership with General Motors Co., is taking its development of a maintenance-free, non-pneumatic tire to the next level with the "Uptis" prototype.

HENDERSON, Nev. — Yokohama Tire Corp. is making a serious pitch for the pickup truck/Jeep/SUV and CUV crowds with a pair of new tires in the Geolandar product line, the X-AT extreme all-terrain and X-CV crossover/luxury SUV tire.

AKRON — In terms of branding trends, the past year was relatively quiet for the North American tire industry.