Goodyear's U.S. Conveyor Belt Production and Jobs Up

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Dec. 1, 2004 -- Bucking the perception that U.S. jobs are migrating to other countries, Goodyear's conveyor belt plant here has added production capacity, along with more jobs.

Nearly 100 jobs have been added at the plant this year, increasing the workforce by more than 35 percent to handle growing demand from stepped up global mining activity, while utilizing expanded production capabilities created when the company transferred manufacturing equipment from one of its Canadian plants.

The Marysville plant is currently producing one of the largest orders in the plant's 37-year history to be shipped to Latin America. The eight miles of Goodyear Flexsteel ST3600 steel-cord conveyor belt weighs 1,300 tons and is one of many production projects underway at the plant.

When completed, the order will be shipped to one of the world's largest open-pit mines located in the Atacama Desert of Chile, producing copper, gold and silver.

According to Dennis Hare, business manager for Goodyear's conveyor belt products, the overland belt will transport crushed ore four miles to the mine's processing plant for separation of metals.

Using a patented system to evenly tension and space 95 steel cords running the length of each belt segment -- enough cord to stretch from the Marysville plant to Jacksonville, Fla. -- the 63-inch-wide belt boasts an operating tension capability surpassing 3,000 pounds-per-inch-width. "Consistent tension on all cords during manufacturing provides longer belt life expectancy," said Hare.

The Flexsteel ST3600 is also manufactured with Goodyear's premium grade cover compounds with cut-and-gouge protection on the top cover and low rolling resistance on the bottom.

Adding to the belt's protection is Goodyear's Sensor Guard 2000 rip-and- tear detection system that uses a patented technology to monitor embedded electronic sensor loops. The loops pass by detectors and transmit impulses that stop if damage occurs, automatically shutting down the conveyor system.

"Sensor Guard has been credited with dozens of saves since its introduction," said Hare. "It minimizes belt damage as well as downtime."

A unique feature of the belt order is its packaging. Racetrack-shaped reels bundle the belt into an oval design for shipping that permits more footage-per-roll, avoiding added height while reducing the number of on-site splices.

Hare said the 13-foot tall reels carry more than 1,300-feet of belt each and weigh 42 tons. "Nothing about this project is small," he said. "Even the take-up reels are impressive."

Two-by-two, the reels are loaded onto railcars and welded with bracing to prevent payload shifts. The reels of belts are then transported by rail to the Port of Houston, where they are transferred to ship to complete a journey south of the equator, traveling by sea through the Panama Canal to the Chilean coast.

Goodyear manufactures heavy-duty and lightweight conveyor belts for material and package handling. For more information, visit http://www.goodyearcvb.com/ .