They Wanted to Manufacture Tires for Bicycles and Carriages — Today, We Have Goodyear. The Story of One of the Largest Manufacturers in the World

Written by Romário Pereira de Carvalho

Published on 12/05/2025 at 22:10

Updated on 12/05/2025 at 22:11

Créditos: Unsplash

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From Wagon Wheels to Electric Vehicle Innovation: The Century-Long Journey of Goodyear, One of the Largest Manufacturers in the World

Goodyear was founded in 1898, in the city of Akron, Ohio, in the United States. Its founder was Frank Seiberling, who was inspired by inventor Charles Goodyear, the man who discovered the process of rubber vulcanization.

With just 13 employees, the company started producing tires for bicycles and wagons. It also manufactured simple items such as poker chips and pads for horseshoes.

The Turning Point

The turning point came in the early 20th century. In 1907, Goodyear began supplying tires for Ford’s Model T, one of the most important cars in history.

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The growth was rapid. By 1916, the company was already the largest tire manufacturer in the world. The slogan “More people travel on Goodyear tires than on any other kind” helped establish the brand as synonymous with trust.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the company expanded its operations. It began manufacturing airships, including the famous Goodyear Blimp, a symbol recognized worldwide.

It also partnered with the German company Zeppelin, creating the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. During World War II, it contributed to the U.S. effort by manufacturing military aircraft, such as the F4U Corsair.

In Brazil, the company arrived in 1973 with the opening of a factory in Americana, São Paulo. The unit became one of the most important for the company worldwide. In 2001, it gained one of the brand’s most modern test fields.

Since the 1980s, competition has increased, and Goodyear had to adapt. Restructuring and partnerships followed. In 1999, it formed a joint venture with Japanese Sumitomo Rubber. In 2021, it took another important step by acquiring Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.

Today, with over 125 years of history, Goodyear remains focused on the future. It invests in innovation, with special attention to sustainable tires and new technologies for electric and autonomous vehicles.

The company that started with bicycle tires continues as a giant in the industry, present in several countries and ready for the challenges of modern mobility.

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They Wanted to Manufacture Tires for Bicycles and Carriages — Today, We Have Goodyear. The Story of One of the Largest Manufacturers in the World

From Wagon Wheels to Electric Vehicle Innovation: The Century-Long Journey of Goodyear, One of the Largest Manufacturers in the World

The Turning Point

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They Wanted to Manufacture Tires for Bicycles and Carriages — Today, We Have Goodyear. The Story of One of the Largest Manufacturers in the World

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Engineers want to carve through Africa with a giant canal to bring water from the world’s second-largest river to a dying lake on the edge of the Sahara Desert that has already lost 90% of its water.

A giant brown band visible from space, approximately 8,850 kilometers long, connected Africa to America in the Atlantic Ocean, and satellites revealed that it is neither land nor pollution, but the largest accumulation of seaweed in the world, which broke records in 2025.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

In just one cast, fishermen are surprised to capture 14,096 mullets in Bombinhas and close a historic season with 58,000 fish; scene recorded in the Santa Catarina paradise marks the last day of the 2026 season.

Consumers eat six times more chicken than in the 1960s, global meat supply quadruples in 60 years, and FAO report reveals the invisible cost on the plate: livestock could drive 80% of the increase in agricultural emissions over the next decade.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

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