Goodyear - Competitors

Goodyear Competition

Now Viewing Goodyear's competition in: Tire Manufacturers (primary)

Recent Developments

Research Assesses Environmental Impact of Tires - The world's leading tire manufacturers will help fund a research program studying potential environmental and health impacts of their rubber-based products. Tire manufacturers want to improve understanding of the materials used to make tires so that the environmental impact of tire manufacturing can be assessed more accurately. Researchers are also studying the environmental impact of tire wear and roadway particles generated during normal vehicle use.

Tire Shipments Declining - Declining US vehicle sales are negatively impacting tire manufacturers. US manufacturer shipments of original equipment passenger vehicle tires declined 18.1 percent in first quarter 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, according to the Rubber Manufacturers Association; shipments of replacement passenger vehicle tires declined 2.7 percent. Shipments of original equipment light truck tires declined 60.7 percent; replacement light truck tire shipments declined 17.1 percent.

Auto Sales Continue Declining - US new auto sales, a driver of demand for tires, fell 10.8 percent in May 2008 compared to May 2007, according to Edmunds.com. Sales of smaller vehicles rose, but sales of larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks fell. Auto sales have declined every month in 2008.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven by sales of new vehicles and the need for replacement tires. Because tires are largely a commodity, profitability depends on cost-efficient operations. Small companies can compete by producing tires or tire-related products for niche markets, such as bicycles or farm equipment. Large companies can afford the research to develop tires from new, technologically advanced materials, and can invest in improving production efficiency. The industry is capital-intensive: average annual revenue per employee is over $200,000.

Full Industry Overview For Tire Manufacturers

Tire Manufacturers Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

The output of US tires is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 2.4 percent between 2007 and 2012.

Tire Production Growth Slow

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.