Goodyear to cut 1,200 jobs under EMEA region restructure

Birmingham, UK – Goodyear Tire & Rubber has announced plans to cut 1,200 positions across its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

The staff reductions are part of a previously signalled restructuring initiative to make the business ‘leaner, more efficient and customer-centric’.

The proposed changes include streamlining the EMEA region around two business units - consumer EMEA and commercial EMEA, Goodyear explained in a statement provided 6 Sept to ERJ.

The restructure will also involve: “simplification” of customer-facing teams with fewer decision-making layers; centralisation of corporate functions; and consolidation of R&D activities across EMEA.

The actions, Goodyear noted, remain subject to consultation with stakeholders.

In addition to the job cuts, the tire maker said it would create 500 new roles, predominantly in Goodyear’s global business services organisation.

“In total, this represents about a 15% overall reduction of Goodyear’s salaried workforce in EMEA,” the group stated.

The statement follows an earlier announcement by Goodyear’s chairman, CEO and president Richard Kramer, signalling “major cost-saving changes” in Europe and globally.

Kramer indicated that EMEA was a particular focus of the cost-savings actions, as the region delivered significant losses in the second quarter of 2023.

Goodyear recently announced a plan to significantly reduce capacity at its tire plant in Fulda, Germany.

The move, which would involve 550 job losses, is intended to reduce consumer-tire production costs in the region, said Goodyear.