Goodyear's new retread manufacturing facility now open

Goodyear News Release

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North Bay - Today marks the grand opening of Goodyear's 80,000 square foot retread manufacturing facility in North Bay, which incorporates leading-edge "lean principles" helping support the continuous flow of production to optimize the efficiency of the retread process. With an increased demand for off-the-road retreaded tires in the construction, mining, forestry and recycling industries, the new facility will increase production and accommodate future growth.

"Customers are increasingly seeing the value of retread OTR tires, and Goodyear provides a name they can trust. We see this as a permanent shift in demand," said Glenn Bennett, Business Centre Manager, Goodyear Canada. "The high caliber of employees at this plant was a key factor in our decision to grow the facility. We thank the City of North Bay for their support throughout the process."

Lean Principles Lead to Efficient Re-tread Process

An important principle affecting the layout of the new facility was to have materials and the equipment close together. A lean layout focuses on minimizing motion, and not having inventory on the floor. Nearly double the size of the old facility, motion has been reduced by over 40 per cent.

Retreading Tires - Good for Jobs and the Environment

The North Bay OTR plant uses two types of retreading techniques to apply approximately 30 different tread designs. The first type of retread is a mould-cure, wherein rubber is applied to the tire casing, which is then placed into a mould and a tread pattern is pressed into the rubber.

The second method, called cut-tread, involves laminating a strip of rubber around the tire casing like a roll of paper, after which workers then groove the tread design into the rubber. The smallest tire retreaded at the plant is roughly 136kg, while the largest typically weighs approximately 4536kg.



Why Retread?

According to the most recent statistics from the Tire Retreading Information Bureau, approximately 18.6 million retreaded tires were sold in North America in 2006, with sales in excess of $3 billion (US).

Retreaded tires provide reliable service equal to new tires. The casing of a tire is a highly engineered structure, designed to carry very high loads, which can readily outlast the original tread moulded onto it. Putting a new tread onto the original casing greatly extends a tire's lifespan. Retreaded tires also provide an environmental benefit, by diverting thousands of tires from disposal each year.

About Goodyear Canada

Goodyear Canada Inc. is a leading manufacturer of tires for automotive and commercial/industrial markets. The company has operations and offices in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta, in addition to a national network of committed independent retailers. Goodyear Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio.

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