General Tire is a leader in the development, production, and marketing of quality tyres for automotive applications. Close Menu. Passenger and Van Tires - For your everyday adventures. September 29th, William F. Nygen and fabric production. At the beginning of the war, with founder O'Neil still at the helm, the company had ventured outside the tire business by purchasing a 50 percent interest in the Pasadena, California-based Aerojet Engineering Corporation, which would become Aerojet General in the near future.
This purchase marked the onset of an explosion of growth and diversification at the end of the war, which, among other distinctions, would make General Tire the country's biggest private radio and television owner by The postwar years heralded great prosperity for General Tire.
As for the tire business, the company began to supply General Motors, hence entering the new car or "original equipment" market in a significant way it had already entered the original equipment market for trucks in the s, as a supplier for International Harvester. Plant expansion was initiated: in the world's largest tire test track was completed in Uvalde, Texas; in the company's fourth tire plant in Bryan, Ohio, was completed, followed in by the construction of a radial tire manufacturing facility in Mt.
Vernon, Illinois. William O'Neil did not live to see the company reap its first billion dollar sales in By then, however, he had witnessed radical changes in his company.
It entered the entertainment business, followed by tennis ball, wrought iron, and soft drink production, as well as chemicals and plastics manufacturing; in the early s General Tire even began motion picture and video production. The identity of the company had altered so drastically that by , the shareholders agreed to change the name and transform the company into a holding company consisting of four major subsidiaries. GenCorp, Inc. The formation of General Tire, Inc.
With subsidiaries in Canada closed in and Mexico sold in , it was the fifth major tire company in North America, consisting of six manufacturing facilities, a tire fabric processing plant, and the giant Uvalde, Texas, tire test center, the largest in the world. In GenCorp underwent large-scale restructuring, in part to ward off a hostile takeover attempt by General Acquisition, Inc.
When one of Europe's largest tire manufacturers, Continental Aktiengesellschaft of Hanover, Germany, became interested in the possibility of purchasing General Tire, the shareholders of GenCorp were more than willing to sell.
Continental is one of Europe's oldest tire manufacturing companies, and the first tire company in the world to develop--in tires with treads.
Flush with capital from one of its most successful years, Continental was determined to broaden its market base, which was largely domestic. The acquisition of General Tire, Inc. Gone, possibly forever, were the days when hundreds of tire companies could profit by serving the same domestic market. In the s more than 80 percent of the tires sold worldwide are produced by five major tire companies, only one of which, Goodyear, is American. The result of General Tire's purchase was an overall revitalization.
The company was downsized--its Canadian plant was closed, a retail chain was sold, and the number of employees decreased by 20 percent--and restructured into three major business units.
Unfortunately, the huge cost of restructuring was barely recouped when the recession of the early s took its severe toll on the company. Fouse in When the pair started manufacturing tyres, there were over companies that also made tyres.
This led to the General Jumbo tyre. In the twenties, the company built an independent dealer network, which ensured the General Tire was presented as a premium brand. During this period, the development team of General Tire produced the Low Pressure Ballon Jumbos, which only requires 0. In General Tire went international with the acquisition of a number of factories.
General Tire and a number of other manufacturers decided to end this shortage. General Tire built a second factory in Texas and resumed the production of tyres in November In General Tire made its first entry on the original equipment market. First as supplier for General Motors and later for a number of other large car manufacturers.
Because of this step, General Tire had a serious shortage of modern factories. In General Tire builds its third factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, followed by the fourth and fifth factory in In General Tire builds its final factory in Mt.
Vermon, Illinois. This allowed for the closing of the seriously outdated factory in Waco, Texas. Diluting rubber with oil is an invention from , a patent for this was applied for in At the start of , Continental AG indicates to be interested in the acquisition of General Tire, in October the acquisition is completed and Continental Tire becomes the owner of one of the strongest brands of America.
To this day, General Tire still gives great importance to quality. The factory in Mt. Vernon, Illinois still manufactures three million car tyres every year. Although the largest part of that is now manufactured in Europe, General Tire is still the manufacturer of American quality. Skip to content.
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