| Goodrich Tires - B.F. Goodrich Company
The Goodrich Corporation (formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company) NYSE: GR, based in Charlotte is an American aerospace manufacturing company. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich. The company name was changed to the "B.F. Goodrich Company" in 1880, to BFGoodrich in the 1980's, and to the "Goodrich Corporation" in 2001.
The company has a history of innovation and was responsible for introducing the zipper. As B.F. Goodrich, the company became one of the largest tire and rubber manufacturers in the world, helped in part by the 1986 merger with Uniroyal (formerly the United States Rubber Company). This product line was sold to Michelin in 1988, and the company acquired Rohr (1997), Coltec Industries, and TRW Aeronautical Systems (formerly Lucas Aerospace) in 2002. The sale of the specialty chemicals division and subsequent change to the current name completed the transformation. As of 2003, company sales were 4 billion dollars.
The Troy, Ohio plant was purchased in 1946 from WACO. Since then, Goodrich has manufactured wheels and brakes for a variety of aircraft. Among these are commercial, military, regional, and business programs. This successful operation lies at the core of Goodrich's business. Some of the important programs are Boeing 737, 747-400, 757-200, 757-300, 767, 777, and Airbus A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, and A340.
Military programs include F-14 Tomcat, F-16 Fighting Falcon nosewheel, S-3 Viking, P-3 Orion, C-141 Starlifter, C-5 GalaxyA/B, B-52 Stratofortress, F-111/F-117, A-6 Intruder, as well as helicopter wheels or rotor brakes on the CH-46 Sea Knight, CH-47 Chinook, CH-53 Sea Stallion, and V-22 Osprey among others. Smaller airframes include Cessna Citation, Embraer, Global Express, Learjet, and Jetstream models. Goodrich also supplies wheels and brakes on NASA's current Shuttle Orbiter.
Goodrich provides parts or completed subassemblies for the Boeing 777 and F/A-18 Hornet, and many other aircraft. The company will, in the future, provide components for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380. Competitors include the aerostructures divisions of companies such as Alcoa (Howmet//Huck) and SNECMA.  | 
01-25-2006, 12:11 AM
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