Europe » Avon tyres to close UK factory

Real Shame. Tyres have changed immensely from the old days of Speedmasters. Yes there were lots of tales of wooden tyres but I cant really say I heard of people having lots of tyre related accidents. Since I have owned my RS I have had Avon Storm tyres fitted, (same on as I bought bike). They have given good mileage and a confident grip whatever the weather. There was a bit of bar shaking when the front was getting low on tread but I used to get the same thing on my Sprint GT with Michelin Pilot 4. I stuck with the Avons as the price was nicer than Michelins. There are so many choices and unless supported by a magazine personal choice can only be a limited thing. More workers to trawl around looking for work now, probably in a limited employment area. RIP

Being raised in a town with a town where the threat of the primary local employer leaving town with every economic blip or union contract negotiation, I have a lot of sympathy for the impacted employees and the town. Sadly, once a brand becomes just one of many owned by a larger corporation, it's pretty much just a matter of time until the brand isn't as profitable as other brands/products and the corporation axes it.

Will Goodyear continue the Avon MC line elsewhere? When was the last time Goodyear marketed a MC tire?

Zitat von wessie im Beitrag #4

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Zitat von Mr. 36654 im Beitrag #3

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Being raised in a town with a town where the threat of the primary local employer leaving town with every economic blip or union contract negotiation, I have a lot of sympathy for the impacted employees and the town. Sadly, once a brand becomes just one of many owned by a larger corporation, it's pretty much just a matter of time until the brand isn't as profitable as other brands/products and the corporation axes it.

Will Goodyear continue the Avon MC line elsewhere? When was the last time Goodyear marketed a MC tire?

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Double post deleted :)

Yes, Globalisation is a powerful force. I was one of around 4000 people affected when Xerox pulled out of Gloucestershire in 2002 and outsourced production to third parties in E.Europe, Brazil and Mexico. About 1500 direct employees and another 2500 working as contractors or in the supply chain.

Goodyear don't need to market bike tyres. As stated above, they own the rights to Dunlop in the US & Europe.

A friend who owns some classic bikes and races in hill climbs has pointed out that Avon are the only supplier for may of the odd sizes used on old snotters in classic racing. One wonders if the parent company will have any interest in this niche as it cannot be very profitable?

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As for Goodyear owning the Dunlop brand in NA and Europe, that applies to non-MC tires. In the US, Dunlop MC tires are a Sumitomo product.

“Goodyear own the rights to Dunlop in the US & Europe.”

I think the statement above is correct for Europe but do not believe it is for the US.AEB7D187-42DE-41F3-9F2C-B725A3FCE16B.jpeg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Based on a quick check of the corporate websites, neither Goodyear, Cooper or Dunlop USA (www.dunlop.com), there's no mention of Avon or motorcycle tires. There's no US specific site for Avon tires. Thus, it appears the brand is going to disappear. The only "optimistic" thing I can find is the following mention in Goodyear's 3rd quarter financial report;
AVON TYRE - GOODYEAR.png - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)
Since the word motorcycle is only mentioned once in the Goodyear quarterly report, the plant in France is likely toast in a few years.

The Sumitomo site for US Dunlop MC tires (www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com) identifies their ownership of that brand name

I loved the term "center of excellence" in the "Announced Rationalization Actions" statement posted by Mr. 36654. Sounds like a politician wrote it.

Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #9

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I loved the term "center of excellence" in the "Announced Rationalization Actions" statement posted by Mr. 36654. Sounds like a politician wrote it.

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According to the Goodyear quarterly report (and my own life-long experience), Original Equipment market is keeping Goodyear afloat and outside of the Americas (North & South) the company is struggling. The replacement market, either for premium lines or secondary (Kelly-Springfield, Dunlop, Cooper, etc) isn't doing that well relative to profitability.

In my own experience, I've never felt Goodyear offered good value for the price when considering replacement tires.

Wessie,

The best I can do is provide the link to the 2021 Annual report.

https://corporate.goodyear.com/content/d...nual-report.pdf

But, if the expanded Serbian plant is at an advantage due to Serbia joining the EU, the UK plant being outside of the EU could have been a factor in these decisions. I have no clue.