SHANGHAI (Feb. 5, 2008) — Goodyear has formed a North Asia business unit, covering China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, in a bid to improve customer service to customers there.
Michael Martens, managing director of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and Asia-Pacific off-the-road tires, will head the cluster as managing director as well as serve as the newly appointed chairman and president of Goodyear China.
Goodyear did not quantify the new region´s sales or earnings. The firm´s Asia-Pacific division generates about $1.6 billion in annual sales, or roughly 8.5 percent of the firm´s global revenue.
Goodyear also announced that Goodyear China Chairman and President John Tseng retired Feb. 1 after nearly three years as head of that unit. Tseng came to Goodyear in March 2005 from Eastman Kodak Co.