LONGVIEW, Texas—The Goodyear brand name will live on in the air springs business, as the Akron-based tire maker has reached a licensing agreement with the new owner of the business.
EnPro Industries Inc.'s Stemco Division and Goodyear in December signed a trademark licensing deal that will allow Stemco to keep the Goodyear brand name when marketing and selling the air springs product line.
Stemco purchased the North American air springs business, originally owned by Veyance Technologies Inc., from ContiTech A.G. in July.
“Goodyear air springs are regarded as the highest quality, most respected air springs in the commercial trucking industry,” said Todd Anderson, president of Longview-based Stemco.
In a prepared statement, he said that continuing to use the Goodyear brand name “lets us maintain consistency and familiarity in the air springs market as the new supplier of these trusted products. We're glad they are now part of the Stemco family.”
Its trademark agreement with Goodyear follows Stemco's acquisition of the air springs business—along with the Super Cushion and Spring Ride lines of truck, trailer and truck cab suspension products and cap seat springs—from ContiTech A.G. in July 2015.
Included in the deal was a production plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and all NAFTA-related patents and applications.
Stemco, a maker of heavy duty components for the commercial vehicle market, is continuing to manufacture the air springs line at the acquired facility in San Luis Potosi by the same crew of employees, using the same equipment, tooling and processes, a company spokesman said.
The air springs business originally was part of Fairlawn, Ohio-based Veyance Technologies, which was purchased by ContiTech parent Continental A.G. in January 2015. ContiTech sold the air springs operation after U.S., Mexican and Brazilian antitrust authorities mandated the divestiture of the business as a condition of the sale of Veyance to Continental.