This past April, 30 of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'s suppliers met at the company's headquarters in Akron, Ohio, to discuss industry trends and how they impact the tiremaker's research and development efforts.
Since then, "these suppliers have proposed nearly 200 initiatives in the areas of acquisition cost, materials management, conversion cost and new product development that can have a direct, positive impact on Goodyear's product innovations," say Goodyear officials.
"These initiatives will serve to enhance Goodyear's overall R&D expenditures, but more importantly, they will significantly enhance the company's supply chain."
Goodyear officials also have announced that the Akron, Ohio-based company and its suppliers -- including DuPont, Sumitomo Chemical and others -- will protect "each other's intellectual property through a series of new or enhanced technical and commercial agreements."
