S'gor MB: Goodyear restructuring in several countries, not just M'sia

PARLIAMENT | Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has jumped to Putrajaya's defence against allegations that it failed to retain foreign investors.

This comes amid a viral post on social media indicating that Goodyear Malaysia will be closing its 52-year-old manufacturing plant in Shah Alam.

According to Amirudin (Harapan-Gombak), Malaysia was not the only country which would see Goodyear closing its operations.

Instead, the tyre maker's annual report showed that it had been laying off its workers across several continents and shut down its plant in Ohio, United States last year.

"After the news (about Goodyear plant closure) broke out this morning, I checked and found out that Goodyear has shut down its plant in Akron, Ohio which had 500 workers last year.

"Goodyear had also carried out a business restructuring drive in September 2023, where the company laid off some 1,200 workers in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.

"This restructuring exercise was done because Goodyear could not keep up with its competitors like Bridgestone," Amirudin (above) said when debating the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat.

Adding further, Amirudin said Goodyear had to restructure its business due to high costs and chose to move its operations to countries like Vietnam for cheaper labour costs.

This, he said, is a fact that everyone should consider and accept.

‘Opposition twisting the issue’

Amirudin also trained his gun at certain opposition politicians who played up the issue, including Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang).

The opposition leader, in his debate speech earlier, slammed the federal government over its alleged failure to manage the country's economy and used the Goodyear case as an example.

According to Amirudin, Wan Fayhsal was twisting the issue by creating a perception to vilify Putrajaya.

It was reported that Goodyear was planning to close its plant in Shah Alam effective June 30.

In an internal memo which was purportedly leaked, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s Asia Pacific president Nathaniel Madarang said the closure was part of the company’s "transformation programme".

Madarang indicated approximately 550 positions in its Malaysian operations will be affected.

The plant in Shah Alam was opened in 1972.

Malaysiakini is contacting Goodyear for verification.

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