Goodyear eyes prospective areas for Autocare concept

CEBU, Philippines - Despite the global financial crisis, American multi-national company Goodyear remains optimistic of its Philippine market operations putting up new outlets under its latest retail network brand, Goodyear Autocare.

Goodyear recently opened Cebu Wheelmasters Autocare, the newest addition to the company’s nation-strong branded retail network located at the North Reclamation Area.

The concept of Goodyear Autocare was first introduced to the Philippine market in 2007 serving as a one-stop-shop total care center offering specialized tire and automotive services, said Goodyear Philippines marketing director Ramon Miguel M. Barredo in an interview.

He said that the concept is unique because it’s the first of its kind in the tire industry especially that most formats in the market are not driven by tire manufacturers.

Barredo added that as consumers’ preferences start to evolve along with cars, they have reformatted and repositioned their service centers and stores in the Goodyear Autocare brand so that they can convey that they offer more than just tires but a one-stop-shop service.

“This new brand will revolutionize the car maintenance and repair industry. We invite driven individuals to be part of our Goodyear Autocare network to enjoy benefits of being part of the world’s largest tire company through our superior training programs, exceptional business systems, innovative service offerings and exclusive access to the Goodyear brand,” he said.

Currently, Goodyear Philippines has more than 100 branded retail networks all over the country and despite present issues concerning the global financial crisis, the company continues to be bullish in seeing growth through expansions.

“We continue to look for opportunities. This new outlet is a testament of our continuing partnership with our dealer networks and we are proud of having the widest network in the county. We continue to work with our partners to find ways to better service our customers as they evolve,” said Barredo.

He said that despite the slowdown in the market, they continue to evaluate various locations for viability in opening up more outlets.

Barredo said that in as far as the Cebu market is concerned; they have noted it to be a dynamic market as new developments continue to open up more opportunities for growth for companies like Goodyear.

He also said that despite being an American company, they did not see that the crisis in the US had a direct impact to their business operations worldwide as they continue to thrive.

He said that their constant product innovations anchored the continued growth of the company.

Last year alone, the company launched five new tires for different purposes and different vehicles here in the Philippines and Barredo said that they will continue to release new innovations in the market that will revolutionize the industry.

Wheelmasters Autocare is one of the two Goodyear outlets here in Cebu branded under the Autocare format and it is equipped with latest diagnostic equipment and specialized tools to service all kinds of vehicles.

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies which employ 70, 000 people worldwide and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world.

It has recently been named as the “Most Trusted Tire Company” and ranked as the highest among tire manufacturers in Asia and the Americas in the public perception of CSR goodwill according to a study commissioned in 2006.