Offices closed for the holidays; Here's a look at Rubber News' 2024 most read stories

When big things happen in the rubber industry—think executive changes, major legal battles, industry-shattering breakthroughs or mass layoffs—we want our readers to be the first to know. And our readers show up.

This year's most read stories—articles that garnered the heaviest traffic and engagement online—include just these topics: what to expect from a new CEO, top tire makers' involvement in price-fixing litigation, a possible breakthrough in the search to replace a critical—yet controversial—material, and two companies' moves that resulted in work force reductions.

Our offices will be closed Dec. 23 – Jan. 1 so staff can spend the holidays with friends and family. We will return to office Jan. 2, 2025. Until then, here's a look at this year's stories around which our readers created the most buzz.

Mark Stewart, former chief operating officer for Stellantis N.V. in North America, was named president and CEO of Goodyear toward the end of 2023, after Rich Kramer announced his retirement from the role.

Stewart stepped into the leadership position on Jan. 29, and as he adjusted to his new role throughout the year, readers time and time again revisited a story on the new CEO, one that explored just what he'd bring to the table at Goodyear.

The auto industry veteran brought with him some serious know-how from a rapidly evolving industry that subsequently requires rapid innovation from the tire industry. And after navigating Stellantis through a rocky 2023, thanks to the United Auto Workers strike, Stewart proved his mettle as the auto maker walked away with only a 1.2-percent decline in sales that year.

But most notably, Stewart had the daunting task of redefining the world's No. 3 tire maker as it rolled out its then-recently announced Goodyear Forward plan.

"I am confident," Stewart had said in a statement, "that Goodyear Forward is the right strategy to unlock the company's full potential in its next chapter."

Since the announcement of this plan and Stewart's appointment, the company has successfully reduced losses with each quarter—most recently posting a net loss of $34 million in Q3, an improvement from 2023's Q3 net loss of $89 million. The tire maker also has agreed to sell its off-the-road tire business to Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. in a $905 million cash sale, which is expected to close in early 2025.

As the European Commission conducted an antitrust investigation in its tire market in early 2024, six of the world's largest tire makers were then accused of price-fixing in the U.S.

A class-action lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court's Southern District of New York Feb. 7, alleged that the six tire makers—Bridgestone Americas Inc., Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C., Goodyear, Michelin North America Inc., Nokian Tyres Inc., Pirelli Tire L.L.C. and their respective parent companies—conspired to raise replacement tire prices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weeks later, law firms from New York and California would file a second price-fixing lawsuit in a federal court in Akron that accused the same six tire makers of "artificially raising, fixing, maintaining or stabilizing the price of tires" sold in the U.S.

A few months later, the tire makers asked a federal judge, in a motion filed Sept. 20, to dismiss the cases against them, citing the plaintiffs' failures to provide credible evidence to support their claims.

The tire makers called the claims "far-fetched," adding that the plaintiffs were attempting to "create a conspiracy out of thin air."

The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association identified in the spring five possible alternatives to the tire antidegradant 6ppd.

USTMA identified the alternatives after a comprehensive preliminary analysis, which was completed by a consortium of 30 tire manufacturers, under the first stage of an alternatives study under California's Safety Consumer Product Regulations.

Sixty chemical candidates were considered during the initial alternatives analysis, with 21 non-pdd-derived chemicals and 19 ppd-derived chemicals making an initial cut. Of those, five (initially) made the final cut as possible replacements to 6ppd: 7ppd, Ippd, 77pd, CCpd and a specialized graphene, known as Prophene.

The study came after an October 2023 lawsuit filed by non-profit Earthjustice on behalf of two fisheries against 13 of the world's largest tire manufacturers.

The lawsuit demands an immediate halt of tire makers' use of 6ppd in tire manufacturing due to the material's chemical offshoot 6ppd-quinone, which has been found in Pacific Northwest waterways via tire road wear particles.

According to Earthjustice, 6ppd-q has been linked to what is called urban mortality runoff syndrome, resulting in the deaths of coho salmon returning to spawn in urban streams.

The involved tire makers moved to dismiss the lawsuit in March, partly to allow the alternatives analysis to play out. In July, however, the U.S. Court for the Northern District of California denied the request.

As Cooper-Standard Automotive Inc. has been working to get its financials in order, the company in May announced it would reduce its work force as part of its cost-cutting measures.

"We have identified opportunities to further optimize costs by eliminating redundancies, automating processes and leveraging technologies," company Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Edwards told investors during an earnings call at the time, adding that the company would begin to reduce its salaried work force globally at the start of the following quarter.

The move came after the rubber automotive parts manufacturer restructured its management in January to focus on its product areas rather than geographical segments.

The personnel moves were estimated to result in $20 million to $25 million in savings for 2024, and between $40 million and $45 million on a full-year annualized basis for 2025.

By the second quarter of 2024, the company reported a net loss of $76.2 million, making a total first-half net loss of $107.9 million. This compared to a total first-half net loss of $158.2 million for 2023.

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. terminated all production activities at its Tonawanda, N.Y., tire factory—it's only U.S. tire production location—and dissolved its consolidated subsidiary, Sumitomo Rubber USA L.L.C. (SRUSA).

The November closure, which resulted in the loss of 1,555 jobs, was effective immediately. Related wind-down activities are expected to be completed over the next 12-24 months, according to the tire maker.

SRI said the closure followed an "extended examination of the viability of the facility, following thorough analysis of various business complexities," citing rising material and logistics costs, dated infrastructure, inconsistent financial performance and changing market conditions.

The closure came three years after SRI committed $130 million to upgrade the facility, a move that was designed to nearly double passenger and light truck tire capacity at the location.

As Sumitomo moves the capacity from its Tonawanda facility to its plant in Amati City, Thailand, the tire maker maintains the need for a manufacturing presence in North America

"Eventually, we will have factories in the vicinity of North America again," Hidekazu Nishiguchi, managing executive officer for SRI, said during the firm's third-quarter financials conference call, after noting that he believes "local production for local consumption is the best for the tire industry."