Goodyear returning to US from China.

[boatdoc]

Hi folks; I have learned from inner circles that Goodyear will be moving all operations back to US. The quality issues are are dragging their profits down through warranty liability. Let's all hope that it is true. "Boatdoc"

[HowieE]

Now that is the first good economical news I have heard in weeks.

If true it will be a massive effort in advertising for them to regain any level of market share.

[bkahler]

Having worked in China for 8 months back in 1997 I can safely say quality was not necessarily issue number one, neither was safety for that matter.

Hopefully more corporations will come to this same realization and bring production back home where it belongs.

Brad

[fltlevel510]

The four Goodyear Marathons I had fail this summer were all made in Canada in 2004. Does simply moving the place of production change quality?

[bkahler]

In a perfect world the location of production shouldn't make a difference. If your tires were all made in 2004 then they were reaching the point of replacement anyway. From everything I've read, after four years tires should be replaced.

I'm curious if your tires were actually produced in 2004 or purchased in 2004. If purchased in 2004 it is possible they are actually older. The date codes would provide that info.

As for the quality of products from China, it is mostly hit and miss. The workers are not treated the same as they are in the U.S. in so far as once you "sign up" with a company you sign a contract that typically is for something like 10 years or so. You're not allowed to move from company to company, which is a basic freedom we have in the west.

What I witnessed while in China was the desire by plant management to get the product out the door no matter what. Oddly enough the plant I was starting up was a synthetic rubber plant whose product was targeted towards shoes, etc. I think that kind of explains why my tennis shoes no longer last as long as they used to.

Brad

[Ken J]

Wow - maybe we are finally getting it.......... I think most of us a willing to pay more for quality because it really is cheaper in the long run.

Ken J.

[fltlevel510]

Brian,

Actually all four tires were manufactured in April 2004 and failed because of belt failure. Two of the four were caught during morning tire inspection before a leg of a trip. Usually very obvious because of swelling of the tire and steel belts beginning to protrude from tire. Two of the tires actually had the tread separate while on the road.

I spent several years in China also for a large consumer products company and enjoyed every minute. Especially time in the small villages and of course Chinese foot massage. Our biggest problem was not quality of the product that we were manufacturing but the the counterfit products that were in circulation. I most vividly remember being able to purchase DVDs of American movies that had not yet been released in the U.S.

[Al - K4GLU]

The Marathons I had problems with on another brand of trailer were made in Canada. A friend of mine also had 2 Marathons go on the same brand of trailer and they were also Canadian. So from what I've seen the Canadian made tires were no better than the Chinese. If they actually bring production back to the USA they might be better - but probably not unless they re-engineer the tire design.

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by fltlevel510

I spent several years in China also for a large consumer products company and enjoyed every minute. Especially time in the small villages and of course Chinese foot massage. Our biggest problem was not quality of the product that we were manufacturing but the the counterfit products that were in circulation. I most vividly remember being able to purchase DVDs of American movies that had not yet been released in the U.S.

I wouldn't have been able to handle 2 years in China, as my wife knows I'm more of a steak and potatoes kind of guy, plus I couldn't seem to get the hang of chop sticks .

You're right about DVDs and CDs. For about 8 yuan (about a dollar) you could buy anything you wanted. I didn't try bringing any back to the U.S. as I didn't want to have to deal with the authorities.

Was the company you worked for American or Chinese? We were building a turn key plant owned and operated by the Chinese. I wonder if that makes any difference?

Brad

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by fltlevel510

Brian,

Actually all four tires were manufactured in April 2004 and failed because of belt failure. Two of the four were caught during morning tire inspection before a leg of a trip. Usually very obvious because of swelling of the tire and steel belts beginning to protrude from tire. Two of the tires actually had the tread separate while on the road.

I spent several years in China also for a large consumer products company and enjoyed every minute. Especially time in the small villages and of course Chinese foot massage. Our biggest problem was not quality of the product that we were manufacturing but the the counterfit products that were in circulation. I most vividly remember being able to purchase DVDs of American movies that had not yet been released in the U.S.

That tire looks almost like there is an alignment problem? The center of the tread if flat and smooth wear, but both edges seem to be sawtoothed.

Aaron

[fltlevel510]

Chop sticks were never a problem if you could get quality lizzard on a stick or maybe some good snake on a stick. Of course you could alway use a spoon to eat your morning congee.

[Gil Reinke]

Any idea of when they will be moving back to the us?

[Jim Foster]

Originally Posted by Ken J

Wow - maybe we are finally getting it.......... I think most of us a willing to pay more for quality because it really is cheaper in the long run.

Ken J.

I was a Snap-On Tool dealer for seventeen years. Buying a quality product is always smart.
Selling quality products is nice too, especially when many of the people you deal with the first week you are in business, you still deal with the last week you are in business.

Hope that Goodyear and others return home.

[ArtStream]

To late Goodyear.

I'm sticking with my 16" Mitchlin LTX's

Michael

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by boatdoc

Hi folks; I have learned from inner circles that Goodyear will be moving all operations back to US. The quality issues are are dragging their profits down through warranty liability. Let's all hope that it is true. "Boatdoc"

Hi, moving Goodyear back to USA might be good, quality wise, but it has always been next to impossible to get a tire warranteed by any dealer. I can see the liability part though.