Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will relocate its Latin America regional headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Akron, Ohio, the tiremaker said.
Roughly 30 to 50 positions at the regional office will move to Goodyear’s corporate headquarters starting in 2015. The move applies only to the regional office, with the Brazil Country office remaining in Sao Paulo, Goodyear said.
“We continue to be totally committed to Brazil, where we have had operations for 96 years,” a Goodyear spokesman told Tire Review.
Goodyear has decided to move the regional offices for three main reasons, the company said:
- Moving the regional leadership team out of Brazil will ensure a balanced focus on countries and clusters where we want to grow and increase market relevance.
- The move will enable the region’s leaders to take full advantage of the resources available in Goodyear’s new global headquarters. In addition, it will increase opportunities for the team to engage with Goodyear’s global organization and build global capabilities.
- The move will reduce costs and increase efficiency in the Latin America business.
The Latin America regional headquarters have been in Sao Paulo since 2005 when it first moved from Akron.
The tiremaker has no plans to relocate its Europe, Middle East and Africa, or Asia Pacific regional offices to Akron, according to the Goodyear spokesman.
