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Goodyear to Invest More Than $50 Million in Valleyfield Plant

29 March 1999

Goodyear to Invest More Than $50 Million in Valleyfield Plant

    AKRON, Ohio, March 26 -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
today announced a $57 million radial tire expansion at its Canadian passenger
tire plant in Valleyfield, Quebec.
    The investment includes both state-of-the-art radial passenger tire
building equipment and about 170,000 square feet of new floor space, according
to John Orr, vice president of manufacturing for Goodyear's North American
tire division.
    After construction is complete, the plant will increase production
capacity by about 40%, according to Orr, adding about 400 new jobs.
    "In our global rationalization efforts, we invest in our most efficient
facilities," said John Orr.  "Competition for capital investment is also
global, and the Valleyfield plant has made significant improvements to
increase the efficiency of plant operations."
    Most recently the plant moved to a 12-hour, 7-day continuous schedule.
    "This decision to invest in our facility is a credit to all Valleyfield
associates," said Plant Manager, Don MacDonald.  "The local union membership
of SCEP local 143 has been very supportive of the need to look at alternative
solutions to increase efficiency."
    "In addition, support from the provincial governments, city of Valleyfield
and Hydro-Quebec, has helped to make this a worthy investment for Goodyear,"
added MacDonald.
    According to Orr, construction will begin as soon as the weather permits.
The first tire of the new expansion should roll off the line by the end of
1999 with the employment build up scheduled to begin early in the year 2000.