Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s new Goodyear G395 LHS commercial medium truck tire is being built using the company's IMPACT (Integrated Manufacturing, Precision Assembly Cellular Technology) system.
IMPACT "integrates (tire) component formation and assembly, automated tire assembly and curing within a cellular system," according to Goodyear officials, who claim the process increases productivity by 135% and cuts cycle time by 70%.
"The G395 LHS is designed to give long-haul operators uniform wear, more miles to removal and greater retreadability," says Ted Fick, vice president of Goodyear's commercial tire unit.
The Akron, Ohio-based tiremaker plans to introduce two more steer axle truck tires during the coming months, one in June and the other later in the year.
Both also will be manufactured using the IMPACT system.
"The steer position is the most critical on the vehicle," says Fick, and a position on which Goodyear needs to focus.
The G395 LHS is being built at Goodyear's medium truck tire plant in Danville, Va., which can churn out more than 11,000 truck tires a day at top capacity, according to Modern Tire Dealer data.
