Giti Tire Creates New North American and European Technical Centers

Giti Tire has established two new technical centers, one in North America and one in Europe.

The move marks a significant step in the research and development capabilities of the company, with both sites working in collaboration with existing facilities in China, Indonesia and the UK, the latter of which is based at the renowned MIRA facility. The company now employs more than 600 R&D personnel.

The new North American site will be based in Akron, Ohio, and will employ tire designers, engineers, compounders and research personnel.

This new team will design and develop tires for the North American market across the entire portfolio of brands of the company, which encompass passenger car, performance, UHP, SUV/CUV, 4×4, light truck, heavy truck and bus tires.

Hamid Aboutorabi, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering and is a 23-year veteran of the tire industry, will lead the technical center operation. He has experience in managing R&D teams as well as the development and application of advanced modeling techniques in tire design across both OE and replacement markets.

According to Aboutorabi, “North America represents huge and diverse tire markets with evolving consumer expectations and regulations relating to tire labeling and fuel economy. We will be working hand-in-hand with every Giti Tire R&D Center and will use our collective knowledge and experiences to develop specific products that are best-in-class, utilizing cutting-edge materials and design technologies.”

Giti Tire’s new European Technical Center will be based in Hannover, Germany, under the leadership of R&D Director, Stefan Fischer.

Mr. Fischer has over 18 years of experience in the tire industry working across different R&D projects including OE, passenger car and van tires. He will sit both on the European and the Global R&D Leadership Teams.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has named Ryan Waldron as president of the company's Americas business unit, reporting to Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Stewart. He succeeds Steven R. McClellan, who retired on April 1.

"At Goodyear, our customers are at the center of everything we do, and in Ryan Waldron, we have a customer-centric, execution-focused business leader with a deep understanding of both the marketplace and all aspects of our business, as well as a proven track record of delivering results," Stewart said. "I am thrilled to announce him as president of Goodyear's Americas business and have enormous confidence that under his leadership, both the company and our customers will reach even greater levels of success."