AKRON—Goodyear plans to relocate its Latin America regional headquarters to Akron from Sao Paulo, Brazil, beginning in 2015 in an effort to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
Over the next year, 30 to 50 positions in the regional office will transition to Goodyear's corporate headquarters building in Akron, according to a company spokesman based in Akron.
The tire maker's regional headquarters has been in Sao Paulo since 2005, when it moved from Akron.
The spokesman said the action applies only to the Latin American regional headquarters, and the company's Brazil country office will remain in Sao Paulo.
“We continue to be totally committed to Brazil, where we have had operations for 96 years,” he said in an email to Tire Business, a sister publication of Rubber & Plastics News.
Goodyear has no plans to relocate either its EMEA or Asia Pacific regional offices to Akron.
The move to Akron is, according to the spokesman, being made for three main reasons:
• Moving the regional leadership team out of Brazil “will ensure a balanced focus on countries and clusters where we want to grow and increase market relevance.”
• The move will enable the region's leaders to take full advantage of the resources available in Goodyear's new global headquarters. In addition, it will increase opportunities for the team to engage with Goodyear's global organization and build global capabilities.
• The move will reduce costs and increase efficiency in the company's Latin America business.
Latin America represents 11 percent, or $2 billion, of Goodyear's global sales.