A look at the most recent Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. 10-K tells you more about the attempt by the company to end its alliance with Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. than was known before.
Goodyear's Laura Thompson, executive vice president and chief financial officer, alluded to problems between the parties during a conference call held Feb. 13, 2014.
Also on Feb. 13, Goodyear filed a Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission to release financial results for its fiscal 2013 ended Dec. 31, 2013. (To read how Goodyear fared last year, click here.)
Goodyear also referred to an arbitration petition filed against Sumitomo. Here's what it said, in its entirety, about the situation in the 10-K.
"We currently have a global alliance with Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (SRI). We have learned that SRI has engaged in anticompetitive conduct that we concluded warrants the dissolution of the global alliance. On January 10, 2014, we commenced arbitration proceedings seeking the dissolution of the global alliance, damages and other appropriate relief. Although we believe that our claims are meritorious and will vigorously prosecute those claims, it is difficult to predict the timing and outcome of the proceedings.
"Under the global alliance, we own 75% and SRI owns 25% of two companies, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe B.V. (GDTE) and Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America Ltd. (GDTNA). GDTE owns and operates substantially all of our tire businesses in Western Europe. GDTNA owns the Dunlop brand and operates certain related businesses in North America. In Japan, we own 25%, and SRI owns 75%, of two companies, one for the sale of Goodyear brand passenger and truck tires for replacement in Japan and the other for the sale of Goodyear brand and Dunlop brand tires to vehicle manufacturers in Japan. We also own 51%, and SRI owns 49%, of a company that coordinates and disseminates both commercialized tire technology and non-commercialized technology among Goodyear and SRI, the joint ventures and their respective affiliates, and we own 80%, and SRI owns 20%, of a global purchasing company. The global alliance also provided for the investment by Goodyear and SRI in the common stock of the other.
"Subject to the arbitration proceedings described above, under the existing global alliance agreements, SRI would have the right to require us to purchase its ownership interests in GDTE and GDTNA, which we refer to as 'exit rights,' if there is a change in control of Goodyear, a bankruptcy of Goodyear or a breach, subject to notice and the opportunity to cure, of the global alliance agreements by Goodyear that has a material adverse effect on the rights of SRI or its affiliates under the global alliance agreements, taken as a whole. Subject to the arbitration proceedings described above, SRI would also have exit rights upon the occurrence of the following events:
* the adoption or material revision of a business plan for GDTE or GDTNA if SRI disagrees with the adoption or revision;
* certain acquisitions, investments or dispositions exceeding 10% but less than 20% of the fair market value of GDTE or GDTNA or the acquisition by GDTE or GDTNA of all or a material portion of another tire manufacturer or tire distributor;
* if SRI decides not to subscribe to its pro rata share of any permitted new issue of non-voting equity capital authorized pursuant to the provisions of the shareholders agreements relating to GDTE or GDTNA;
* if GDTE, GDTNA or Goodyear takes an action which, in the reasonable opinion of SRI, has, or is likely to have, a continuing material adverse effect on the tire business relating to the Dunlop brand; or
* if at any time SRI’s ownership of the shares of GDTE or GDTNA is less than 10% of the equity capital of that joint venture company.
"SRI must give written notice to Goodyear of its intention to exercise its exit rights no later than three months from the date such exit rights become exercisable, except that notice of SRI’s intention to exercise its exit rights upon the occurrence of the event described in the last bullet point above may be given as long as SRI’s share ownership is less than 10%. If SRI were to exercise any of its exit rights, the global alliance agreements provide that the purchase price would be based on the fair value of SRI’s minority shareholder’s interest in GDTE and GDTNA. The purchase price would be determined through a negotiation process where, if no mutually agreed purchase price was determined, a binding arbitration process would determine the purchase price. Goodyear would retain the rights to the Dunlop brand in Europe and North America following any such purchase.
"As of the date of this filing, SRI has not provided us notice of any exit rights that have become exercisable."
