GOODYEAR MALAYSIA

Richard J. Kramer
Chief Executive
Officer & President

 

Goodyear's involvement in Malaysia dates back to 1908 when The Goodyear Orient Company, a rubber buying firm, was established in Singapore to purchase rubber from plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia. The sales of Goodyear products in Malaysia began in 1929 through the office of the Goodyear Sales Company, which was established in Singapore.

In 1972, Goodyear Malaysia Berhad established its own manufacturing plant based in Shah Alam, Selangor and today is one of the leading tyre manufacturers in Malaysia. Working three shifts, the company employs nearly 700 people and produces a wide range of passenger car tyres in three different brands, namely Goodyear, Fulda and Kelly. In addition, the plant also produces light truck tyres for commercial and 4x4 applications, medium commercial and graders/tractors tyres.

As a subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, USA, Goodyear Malaysia benefits from research and development support of technical centers located in Japan, Europe, and America. This support has enabled Goodyear Malaysia to produce outstanding tyres along with providing outstanding services. As a result, Goodyear Malaysia has taken the leadership position in the Malaysian tyre market.

Achievements

Goodyear Malaysia is one of the world's top tyre manufacturing company and has achieved excellent performance in both sales and technology. Its parent company, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, introduced the pneumatic tyre in 1899, and patented the tubeless tyre in 1903. When the Wright brothers made their first flight Goodyear was with them.

In October 1992, the company became the first Goodyear tyre plant to be certified for ISO 9002 standards, in 2002 it obtained the QS9000 and ISO14001 certifications followed by ISO / TS 16949 certification in 2003.

The company is a market leader in tyre making and it is a preferred brand by Malaysia's Original Equipment Manufacturers. Having fulfilled their high quality standard, Goodyear tyres now comes as a standard tyres for passenger and recreational vehicles for local brands - Naza, Perodua and Proton as well as the world's leading manufacturers such as BMW, Daihatsu, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Lotus, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Range Rovers, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Suzuki, Toyota and Volkswagen. Goodyear received multiple awards from leading automotive companies, such as, the Toyota's Outstanding Quality Performance in 2003, and Proton's Best Overall Performance as well as Perodua's Quality Performance Award for year 2008/2009. This year, for the second time in two consecutive years, Goodyear Malaysia was recognized as the Most Trusted brand for the tyre category by Reader's Digest.

In the replacement market segment, Goodyear tyres are today available throughout the country through a comprehensive network of one-stop professional tyre and car-care centers known as Goodyear Servitekar and Goodyear Autocare stores. In fact, Goodyear Malaysia takes pride in the fact that it took the lead in developing the tyre retailing business to the high level so commonly found today. Started in 1979, the Goodyear Servitekar has today grown to over 252 outlets serving the needs of motorists throughout the country.

To satisfy growing needs of different market segments, Goodyear Malaysia also imports a substantial number of tyres from its sister plants in other ASEAN countries and is becoming well positioned to take full advantage of the market liberalization under AFTA.