AKRON—Goodyear is relocating 175 positions from its Akron headquarters to a new Goodyear location in Costa Rica, another move the tire maker said supports its Goodyear Forward transformation plan.
Other employees also were laid off, further reducing the headcount at its corporate headquarters in Akron. No union workers are included in the layoffs, according to a Goodyear spokesperson.
Goodyear employs about 2,500 in Akron, a fraction of its 71,000 employees globally.
Goodyear issued a short statement about the change:
"As part of our Goodyear Forward transformation plan, we are relocating 175 roles supporting our Americas business and corporate functions to a new Goodyear location in Costa Rica, effective in early 2025."
The main pillars of the Goodyear Forward plan, which seeks to raise $2 billion in gross proceeds in order to offset company debt, include the divestiture of Goodyear's OTR (off-the-road) business, its Dunlop brand and its chemicals unit.
Goodyear announced on July 22 that it reached an agreement to sell its OTR business to Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (YRC) in a $905 million cash sale.
During a March earnings conference call with analysts, Goodyear CEO and President Mark Stewart said the Goodyear Forward plan includes $100 million in savings by 2025 by cutting roughly 1,200 jobs, as previously announced. In addition, at that time, Stewart said the company had identified 135 more positions that it will eliminate globally.
Goodyear also has announced three plant closures, two in Germany and one in Malaysia.
