Michelin’s BFGoodrich plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala recently celebrated its 500 millionth tire. The plant has been in operation for 75 years now since the first tire rolled out of the production line.
With over 1.6 million square feet of space, the plant boasts a long heritage in the tire industry at large. Some of its achievements include:
- First tubeless tire in the U.S.;
- First American-manufactured passenger car tire certified for racing, the BFGoodrich Radial T/A;
- First radial light-truck all-terrain and mud-terrain tire ever produced;
- First tires for NASA’s space shuttle; and
- First purpose-built off-road radial desert race tire, the BFGoodrich Baja T/A
“Our BFGoodrich facility in Tuscaloosa has been on the leading edge of tire innovation and performance for decades,” says Harold Phillips, global general manager for the BFGoodrich brand. “We’re proud to celebrate the dedication of the employees in Tuscaloosa who are responsible for producing some of the most iconic tires ever made for racing, recreation, and passenger vehicles.”
The plant has more than 1,400 employees. It manufactures light truck and passenger tires as well as semi-finished materials. These include rubber and related materials used for tire construction.
“Our 75 years in Tuscaloosa is not only a testament to the dedication of our employees, but it also shows the support of our community and government partners that help us deliver top-quality products for the North American marketplace,” says Brent McCorkle, plant manager.
All 500 million BFGoodrich tires made have been fitted on 122 million vehicles in the last 70 years. Michelin has been running the tire brand after acquiring BFGoodrich in 1990.
The Tuscaloosa plant has also manufactured street-legal drag-racing tires, various competition tires, the first passenger-car tire to defeat pure race tires, the first street radial tire to perform at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, and competition tires that have in total accumulated 98 wins in the International racing series.