Goodyear is boosting its presence in the global bicycle tire industry by expanding a manufacturing complex in Taiwan and focusing on Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
The company operates in the bicycle tire sector through a licensing partnership with Rubber Kinetics, a specialist in performance cycling tires. Rubber Kinetics’ affiliate entity, RubberX, based in Taiwan, manages R&D, manufacturing, and processing, collectively known as ‘Goodyear Bicycle Tires’.
Goodyear Bicycle Tires’ complex in Nantou, Taiwan, consists of three factories with state-of-the-art facilities, enabling the design, development, and production of high-quality bicycle tires. Quality control is a key focus in the manufacturing process, with rigorous testing at various stages to ensure a very low defect rate.
Due to increasing demand, Goodyear expanded by acquiring a second factory in June 2022. This facility handles the next stages in the production process, including cutting the calendared rubber carcass ply to the tire’s size and curing. A third factory is responsible for the manual folding and boxing of the tires.
Goodyear’s Taiwan facilities, which operate for 16 hours a day across two shifts, are integral to its supply chain management strategy and vital for growing OEM partnerships with global bicycle brands like Cannondale, Factor, and NORCO. The company has specifically targeted growth in the OEM market, as evidenced by the appointment of David Chamberlain as Sales Manager – OEM in July last year.
