news
February 1982
Fibers & Textiles Company Gastonia, North Carolina • Bennettsville, South Carolina
Bowling Green, Kentucky • Hopewell, Virginia • Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
Fibers & Textiles Division in. . .
North American Tire Group
North American Tire Group (to which the Firestone Fibers
& Textiles Company belongs) operates 12 tire, tube and rub
ber compounding plants, 7 raw materials operations and 3
major testing facilities in the United States and Canada.
The group is responsible for the
development, engineering, testing
and production ol' tires and the
manufacturing of 2.500 types and
sizes of tires for passenger cars,
trucks, buses, farm and off-highway
vehicles.
In addition to Firestone tire
lines, the group produces and mar
kets Dayton tires (an associated
tire line), and makes other private-
‘Working’ plans
•She spent nearly 33 years as a
Firestone spinner, rewinder, splicer,
roll-cleaner and cloth-burler. When
Maude Guffey Peeler closed her
career with the Gastonia plant in
early 1978, she began "working"
some of her plans for retirement.
First off. she joined a travel group
on a tour out West — the high point,
a visit to the Grand Canyon.
THEN for a "most rewarding
involvement” she began volunteer
service in home missions projects
through the Southern Baptist
Church. In this she pays her own
way. usually getting room/board
at a reduced rate, or free.
Maude's first summer as a vol
unteer was spent in a church-survey
project in Toledo and North Boston,
Ohio. The following year she was
busy in Boston's inner city, doing
missionary work.
LAST SUMMER she did survey
and evangelistic work in White
Sulphur Springs, W. Va. She is
making plans to return to West
Virginia this year.
Maude, who has traveled in 35
states, says:
"I plan to make the others before
I quit going. . . Retirement's great
if you plan for it, stay well to enjoy
it. and stay involved in interesting
things — especially rewarding
projects that help others while you
help yourself."
brand tires for mass distributors.
The group also handles sales to
original-equipment manufacturers.
• Firestone Fibers & Textiles
Company produces nylon and
polyester yarns. It weaves these
yarns (and others from outside
suppliers) into cord fabric ma
terials for use in tire plies for
Firestone and outside customers.
The division also produces resins
for sale to outside customers.
This profile ol' a major group of
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Com
pany is updated to late January.
1982. The company o[X'rates with
North American Tire and 3 other
groups: Sales & Marketing Opera
tions. International, and Corixirate
Development.
Yamtrain • George Enlow Jr.,
beam & yam handler in TC Twist
ing, hauling yam to another cord-
processing step before it goes to
the looms to become tire reinforce
ment (OEtstonia plant).
As of January the company was
employing 73.000 people — 37.000
in the U.S.. and 36.000 in other
countries.
Re-Focusing
On Danville • The steelwire
plant at Danville, Ky., is not a Fire
stone facility anymore. Tokyo Rope
Manufacturing Co. purchased it in
early 1981. (A story in the January
Firestone News referred to the
Danville plant as belonging to
Firestone.)
The mention that the plant is ex
panding (also slated in the story) is
in error, too. Danville was con
fused with Firestone's Henderson.
Ky.. steel products plant which is in
an enlargement project, expected to
be completed in 1983.
The Henderson expansion will
allow for doubled production of
truck wheels and rims.
15 YOUR CAR OVER
WEIGHTS
• The heavier your car, the more
gas it will use. Don’t add to the
problem by carrying extra weight
when it isn’t necessary.
For every additional 1,000
pounds, gas consumption can in
crease 1,5 to 2,5 miles per gallon,
depending on the tyj)e of car.
So, travel light. Make 5 gallons
do the work of 6, , . BE A GAS-
WATCHER.
1982 Scholarships upcoming
Completed application forms, sat scores and all other re
quired material are due in the Akron company headquarters
by the end of Februcuy. Winners each year are usually an
nounced by late March or early April.
Scholarships are allocated to different sections of the coun
try on the basis of proportionate Firestone employment. The
Scholarships are now worth up to $13,600 toward tuition
fees, textbooks and expenses of room and board during 4
years college or a baccalaureate degree. Winners attend state
or private institutions in the U.S., subject to Firestone ap
proval.
BEDSIDES the Scholarships, Merit Awards and shares of
Firestone stock are presented to applicants in recognition of
outstanding high school records.
There were 28 Scholarships and 56 Merit Awards presented in 1981.
In the Textiles division last year. Sharon Doherty of Hope-
well, Va., was a winner. Tina Renee Collins of Gastonia is a
sophomore biology major at Wake Forest University,
Winston-Salem, N.C. Jacqueline Beth Wyatt, last from the
Textiles division to graduate on a Scholarship (1981), major
ed in business administration/computer science at Western
Kentucky University, Bowling Green.
Woodstock
inF&T
Division
Yam and fabric production
facilities of Firestone’s Wood-
stock, Ontario, Canada,
plants have been a part of the
company’s textile division
since October, 1974. Wood-
stock is the only outside-U.S.
facility operating within the
division — Firestone Fibers &
Textiles Company.
Domestic plants are at Gastonia, N.C. (headquar
ters): Bennettsville, S.C.: Bowling Green, KY.: Hope-
well, Va.
The original Woodstock plant was started in 1936.
Today there are three plants principally supplying
yams and fabric to Firstone tire factories at Hamilton
and Joliette in Canada. One of the plants produces
synthetic yams and the other two proc:ess yams into
cord fabric.
Harold O. Dynna has been general manager at
Woodstock since 1976.
Heavy-duty trucks on radial tires ‘Quality — key to
success
More than half the heavy-duty tmcks in the U.S.
will be rolling on radial tires by 1983 year’s end. And
an increase of nearly 46 percent in sales of new tmcks
is expected by late 1986. That would increase de
mands for replacement truck tires to record levels by
the end of 1989.
Robert L. Musel, Firestone’s tire-marketing mana
ger, made these forecasts last fall at the National Tire
Dealers & Retreaders Association convention in Dallas,
Texas.
Musel said shipments of radiail-ply replacement
tmck tires are predicted to climb from the 1981 ex
pected total 4.7 million units to more than 9.4 million
units by 1986 — the radial percentage moving up from
41 to 63 percent. Total replacement tmck tire ship
ments are expccted to increase from 11.4 million this
year to 15 million by 1986.
Calling the tmcking industry vital to the nation,
Musel said: "We can’t do without air, water or food,
and we can't do without tmcks.” He noted the word
‘Quality’ is the key to success in the tmck tire busi
ness. Now, more than ever, each customer is interested
in quality service, quality products and quality
personnel.
“These customers are ours if we have the best
price. Remember, though, there’s more to having the
best price than just the lowest price. We can demand
the best price if our customers perceive our com
panies as the authority for tmck-tlre sales and ser
vice in our marketing area,”