Goodyear expands hydraulic hose business but cuts a conveyor belt line

Goodyear Engineered Products of Akron, Ohio, will become a full-line provider of hydraulic hose, fittings and crimpers in North America in 2004.

Hydraulic hose assemblies use fluid to transmit power for a wide variety of applications from precision systems to heavy-duty equipment.

Adding high-pressure braided, spiral and thermoplastic hose, as well as fittings and crimpers, fills out Goodyear’s comprehensive industrial hose offering to its distributor network, according to Tim Toppen, president of the division.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our distributors to better serve customers and pursue additional market opportunities,” said Toppen.

Goodyear will stock the complete range of hydraulic hose classifications, from R1 though R17, with three-sixteenth- to two-inch inside diameters, that primarily conform to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and European Norm (EN) standards.

With its strong industrial and automotive aftermarket distribution network, the company seeks to earn a share of the more than $1 billion North American fluid power hose market that is growing more than 3% annually.

Brett Ponton, general marketing manager for Goodyear Engineered Products in North America, said the company will target maintenance and repair operations for industries, such as mining, construction, manufacturing and steel, and will also supply industrial and transportation original equipment manufacturers.

Goodyear will expand into the hydraulics market through a strategic alliance with Italy’s Alfa Gomma S.p.A., a supplier in the hydraulic hose and fitting industry for over 25 years.

“We are combining Goodyear’s brand recognition and North American distribution network with Alfa Gomma’s technically-advanced product design and development,” said Ponton.

For further information, visit www.hydraulics.goodyear.com.

Meanwhile, Goodyear plans to discontinue most operations at its conveyor belt plant in Bowmanville, Ont., by April 2004.

The plant will end fabric conveyor belt manufacturing operations and relocate its steel-cable belt equipment to another facility. It will continue to produce blended, unvulcanized rubber compounds for other Goodyear operations, using recently upgraded mixing equipment.

“This business decision is based on an overall drop in market demand for conveyor systems,” said Jim Pecorelli, director of global manufacturing for Goodyear Engineered Products. “We are consolidating production to reduce our cost base and maintain an industry leadership role.”