Stemco reaches agreement to use Goodyear name

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.

Veyance, which was once part of Goodyear before it was sold to a private equity firm, kept the Goodyear brand name and trademark as part of a licensing agreement with Goodyear. But when ContiTech completed the purchase of Veyance, it lost the rights to use the Goodyear brand name.

“Retaining the Goodyear name through the trademark and license agreement has been a priority since the acquisition of the air springs product line,” the Stemco spokesman said.

“The Goodyear name is highly recognized and continuing to use the brand name provides consistency and an expectation of quality and performance that is important as we transition the business.”

He said the air springs unit's transition from ContiTech has gone smoothly thus far, primarily because all the former Veyance air springs' employees remain with the business.

“By relying on the same team of people and processes, we are able to continue operations according to customer specifications,” he said.

The primary changes within the air springs business are the additional resources Stemco brings to the table, the spokesman said, including input in areas such as product innovation, marketing/branding, trade show presence, customer requirements and sales.

He said Stemco's commercial division is working with the air springs team in developing a broader level of customer contact.

“The scale has gone from customer representation of six to approximately 50 resources,” he said.