The Goodrich Corporation, formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, was an American manufacturing company based in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. Founded in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by

Benjamin Goodrich Benjamin Franklin Goodrich (November 4, 1841 – August 3, 1888) was an American industrialist in the rubber industry and founder of B.F. Goodrich Company. Early life Goodrich was born in the farming town of Ripley, New York on November 4, 1841. ...

, the company name was changed to the "B.F. Goodrich Company" in 1880, to BFGoodrich in the 1980s, and to "Goodrich Corporation" in 2001. Originally a rubber manufacturing company known for automobile tires, the company diversified its manufacturing businesses throughout the twentieth century and sold off its tire business in 1986 to focus on its other businesses, such as

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

and chemical manufacturing. The BFGoodrich brand name continues to be used by

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...

, who acquired the tire manufacturing business in 1988. Following the acquisition by United Technologies in 2012, Goodrich became a part of

UTC Aerospace Systems UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) was one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company was formed in August 2012 when parent United Technologies Corporation ...

. In 1869, Benjamin Goodrich purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company, a small business in

Hastings-on-Hudson, New York Hastings-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County located in the southwestern part of the town of Greenburgh in the state of New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of midtown Manha ...

. The following year Goodrich accepted an offer of $13,600 from the citizens of

, to relocate his business there. The company grew to be 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

in 1988, and the company merged with 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. In 2006, company sales were $5.8 billion, of which 18%, 16% and 12% of total revenues were accounted for by the U.S. government, Airbus and Boeing, respectively. In 1988, the Goodrich Corporation sold its tire business and rights to the Goodrich name to French company

. During the 1970s, Goodrich ran television and print ads to distinguish themselves from the similar-sounding Goodyear tire company. The tag line was, "We're the other guys. Remember?" The company was also sometimes confused with

Mr. Goodwrench GM Certified Service, formerly GM Goodwrench, is an auto repair service for General Motors. In 2011, GM replaced the Goodwrench brand in the US with Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC Certified Service brands (Canada followed in 2014). Backgrou ...

as the two last names were similar, especially since B.F. Goodrich tires were featured on many

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

cars and trucks.

History

Early history

In 1869 Benjamin Goodrich purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company, a small business in

. The following year Goodrich accepted an offer of $13,600 from the citizens of

, to relocate his business there. In 1909, the company constructed a 12-story building with a facade influenced by

Jacobean Revival The Jacobethan or Jacobean Revival architectural style is the mixed national Renaissance revival style that was made popular in England from the late 1820s, which derived most of its inspiration and its repertory from the English Renaissance (15 ...

style and

Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...

for its New York Headquarters, located at 1780 Broadway, New York. which is now become one of the historical landmarks. In March 1912, the

Diamond Rubber Company The Diamond Rubber Company was a manufacturer of vehicle tires and other rubber products at the end of the 19th, and into the early 20th century in the United States. The Diamond Rubber Company was incorporated in March of 1894 in Akron, Ohio by th ...

, founded by the owner of the

Diamond Match Company The Diamond Match Company has its roots in several nineteenth century companies. In the early 1850s, Edward Tatnall of Wilmington, Delaware was given an English recipe for making matches by a business acquaintance, William R. Smith. In 1853, Tatn ...

, was bought out by and merged with the B.F. Goodrich Company. The Diamond brand name and product line were retained and a subsidiary Diamond Rubber Company created for the marketing and manufacturing of them. The company helped found and start the Yokohama Rubber Company on Oct 13, 1917, in a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and B.F. Goodrich. B.F. Goodrich sold radios from the 1930s to the 1950s, under the brand name "Mantola". These radios were actually made by a variety of manufacturers for B.F. Goodrich. In 1936 the company entered the Mexican market in a joint venture, Goodrich-Euzkadi (now part of

Continental AG Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis compo ...

). Goodrich ranked 67th among United States corporations in the value of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

military production contracts. The Troy, Ohio plant was purchased in 1946 from

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

. 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. Competitors include the

aerostructure An aerostructure is a component of an aircraft's airframe. This may include all or part of the fuselage, wings, or flight control surfaces. Companies that specialize in constructing these components are referred to as "aerostructures manufacturer ...

s divisions of companies such as

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

Messier-Bugatti Safran Landing Systems, formerly Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, is a French company involved in the design, development, manufacture and customer support of all types of aircraft landing gear, wheels and brakes and a wholly owned subsidiary of Safran S ...

, Aircraft Braking Systems, (

Howmet Howmet Aerospace Inc. (formerly Arconic Inc.) is an American aerospace company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company manufactures components for jet engines, fasteners and titanium structures for aerospace applications, and forged alumin ...

/Huck) and SNECMA. The Hood Rubber Company was sold before the Great Depression as a division of the B.F. Goodrich Company.

1980–1990s

By 1986 B.F. Goodrich had become an

S&P 500 The Standard and Poor's 500, or simply the S&P 500, is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices. As of D ...

-listed company in diverse business, including tire and rubber fabrication. B.F. Goodrich made high-performance replacement tires.Uniroyal, Inc. Eau Claire Plant Records, 1917-1990
, UWEC.edu In August 1986, one of its biggest competitors in the tire business, Uniroyal Inc., was taken privateJeremy J. Siegel, '' Stocks for the Long Run'', Second Edition, 1998, when it merged with the tire segment of the B.F. Goodrich Company, in a joint venture private partnership, to become the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company. B.F. Goodrich Company held a 50% stake in the new tire company.Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Co reports earnings for Qtr to Sept 30
New York Times Archive, Published: October 14, 1988 The new Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company headquarters was established at the former B.F. Goodrich corporate headquarters, within its 27-building downtown complex in

which contained Goodrich's original factory. In the autumn of 1987 B.F. Goodrich Company shut down several manufacturing operations at the site, and most of the complex remained vacant until February 1988, when B.F. Goodrich announced plans to sell the vacant part of the complex to the Covington Capital Corporation, a group of New York developers.COMPANY NEWS; Goodrich to Sell Complex in Akron
AP, New York Times, February 18, 1988 In 1987, its first full year of operation, the new Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company generated almost $2 billion in sales revenue, with profits of $35 million. The merger soon proved to be difficult. In June 1988 B.F. Goodrich sold its 50% stake for $225 million. The buyers were a group of investors led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice a private New York investment firm.Company News; Goodrich Outlook
REUTERS, New York Times Archive, Published: June 24, 1988 At the same time, B.F. Goodrich also received a warrant to purchase indirectly up to 7% of the equity in Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company.
REUTERS, New York Times Archive, May 3, 1990 As part of the June 1988 sale deal, the new privately held tire company acquired publicly held debt of $415 million.
New York Times Archive, Published: April 25, 1989
New York Times Archive, June 17, 1988
New York Times Archive, Published: February 23, 1990 Also in 1988, Michelin Group, a subsidiary of the French tire company

et Cie proposed to acquire the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company and took actions towards acquiring a stake. By May 1990, Michelin Group had completed its buyout of Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company from Clayton & Dubilier of New York. The deal was valued at about US$1.5 billion.INSIDE
New York Times, Published: September 23, 1989 B.F. Goodrich surrendered its 7% warrant to Michelin Group, and received $32.5 million additional revenue from the sale.

Leaving tire business

B.F. Goodrich by then exited the tire business entirely, in line with its plan to build its chemicals and aerospace businesses through reinvestment and acquisitions. In 1997 it acquired Rohr, a maker of jet aircraft engine

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

s (the aerodynamic structures that surround aircraft engines), expanding its presence in integrated aircraft components industry. In 1999 it acquired

-based Coltec Industries for $2.2 billion in stock and assumed debt, making the former tire maker the No. 1 supplier of landing gear and other aircraft parts. Headquarters were moved to Charlotte following this merger. In 2001, the company divested its

specialty chemicals Speciality chemicals (also called specialties or effect chemicals) are particular chemical products which provide a wide variety of effects on which many other industry sectors rely. Some of the categories of speciality chemicals are adhesives, agr ...

business to focus on aerospace and industrial products and, to signify the completion of its transformation, it was renamed Goodrich Corporation and adopted a new

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

. In October 2002, Goodrich acquired TRW Aeronautical Systems, this division was mainly the former Lucas Aerospace activity, mostly based in the UK and France. In November 2010, Goodrich opened a large new manufacturing centre in

Krosno Krosno (in full ''The Royal Free City of Krosno'', pl, Królewskie Wolne Miasto Krosno) is a historical town and Krosno County, county in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in southeastern Poland. The estimated population of the town is 47,140 inha ...

Rzeszow,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

Fate

In September 2011,

United Technologies Corporation United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...

announced a deal to buy Goodrich for $18.4 billion, paying $127.50 per share and assuming $1.9 billion in debt. On July 26, 2012, United Technologies Corporation purchased Goodrich. Unsold divisions of Hamilton Sundstrand and Goodrich were then merged to create

. Rocketdyne, Hamilton Sundstrand's industrial pumps and compressors operations, Clipper Windpower, and UTC Power (United Technologies' fuel-cell business) would be sold off to raise cash for the deal. On October 16, 2012, United Technologies Corporation secured an agreement to sell the Power Systems division of Goodrich (Twinsburg Ohio, Pitstone Green Buckinghamshire) to Safran for $400 million. The sale of this business unit was a condition that the Chinese competition regulators set in approving UTC's purchase of Goodrich. The Power Systems division had to be divested by December 16, 2012. Ultimately, the sale was completed on 27 March 2013. In April 2020, the remaining portions of Goodrich became part of the

Collins Aerospace Collins Aerospace is an American technology corporation that is one of the world's largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, it is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. History On No ...

subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, a firm which resulted from the merger of United Technologies and the Raytheon Company.

Technologies

Actuation and landing systems

*Actuation systems *Aircraft wheels and brakes *Aviation technical services *Landing gear *Engine components

Electronic systems

*Sensors and Integrated systems *Engine control and electrical power systems *ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems and

Nacelles and interior systems

*Aerostructures *Interiors *Customer services

Platforms

Civil

AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...

helicopter (electronic ice protection system) *

Airbus A320 series The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fami ...

* Airbus A330/

A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel with ...

Airbus A350XWB The Airbus A350 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and produced by Airbus. The first A350 design proposed by Airbus in 2004, in response to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, would have been a development of the A330 wi ...

Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two un ...

Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, an advanced variant of the initial Boeing 747. The "Advanced Series 300" was announced at the September 1984 Farnborough Airshow, targeting ...

Boeing 757-200 The Boeing 757 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the Boeing 727, 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. ...

Boeing 767 The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...

* Boeing 777 * Boeing 787 * Bombardier Global Express * Canadair Regional Jet * Cessna Citation * Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 * Embraer 170 *

Embraer 190 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding E ...

Handley Page Jetstream The Handley Page HP.137 Jetstream is a small twin-turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage. The aircraft was designed to meet the requirements of the United States commuter and regional airline market. The design was later improved and b ...

* Lear Jet * Piaggio P180

Military

* A-6 Intruder *

Airbus A400M The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabil ...

(Electrical power generation, flaps, transmission ice detection sensors) *

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

* CH-46 Sea Knight (wheels or rotor brakes) * C-141 Starlifter * C-5 Galaxy * CH-47 Chinook (wheels or rotor brakes) * CH-53 Sea Stallion (wheels or rotor brakes) * Embraer KC-390 *

F-14 Tomcat The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American carrier-capable supersonic aircraft, supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experi ...

F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...

(radome erosion boot) *

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

(nosewheel) *

F-117 Nighthawk The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational airc ...

F-111 Aardvark The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...

* Harrier jump jet – all versions (hydromechanical fuel systems) *

P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.

in 1988) *

V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a convention ...

(wheels or rotor brakes)

Restatements

On Feb 24, 2004, Goodrich restated its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings results for 2003 after Pratt & Whitney notified the company that it was drastically cutting its order for engine casing components.

Notable employees

Benjamin S. Garvey Dr. Benjamin St. John Garvey (1900–1973) was a chemist at BF Goodrich who worked under Waldo L. Semon on the development of synthetic rubber, contributed to understanding of vulcanization, and developed early techniques for small scale evaluation ...

– worked for B.F. Goodrich and Pennsalt Chemicals Corporation. Dr. Garvey developed the "10 Gram Evaluation Process." *

William C. Geer William C. Geer (1876 – 9 September 1964) was a B.F. Goodrich chemist and eventual Vice President of Research known for inventing the aircraft Deicing boot. Geer began working on the deicing problem in 1927. By 1929 the work showed enough pro ...

– pioneer in studying rubber ageing, and developer of early aircraft de-icing systems, vice-president at

B. F. Goodrich The Goodrich Corporation, formerly the B.F. Goodrich Company, was an American manufacturing company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in Akron, Ohio in 1870 as Goodrich, Tew & Co. by Benjamin Goodrich, the company name was ch ...

David Grylls David Miles Grylls (born September 29, 1957) is a retired track cyclist from the United States. He represented his native country at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, where he won the silver medal in the men's 4000 m team pur ...

, Chula Vista, California, Olympic Silver Medal Winning Cyclist *

Frank Herzegh Frank Herzegh (April 11, 1907 – December 4, 1989) invented the first successful tubeless tire. Herzegh was born in Cleveland, Ohio, graduating from West Technical High School in 1926. Collegiately, he attended Case School of Applied Science, now ...

, inventor of the

tubeless tire Tubeless tires ( also spelled as tubeless tyres in Commonwealth English) are pneumatic tires that do not require a separate inner tube. Unlike pneumatic tires which use a separate inner tube, tubeless tires have continuous ribs molded integral ...

Samuel E. Horne Jr. Samuel Emmett Horne Jr. (July 26, 1924 –February 4, 2006) was a research scientist at B. F. Goodrich noted for first synthesizing cis-1,4-polyisoprene, the main polymer contained in natural tree rubber, using Ziegler catalysis. Earlier attempt ...

– Goodrich chemist who first polymerized synthetic polyisoprene using Ziegler catalyst *

Arthur E. Juve Arthur Edgar Juve (1901–1965) was a B. F. Goodrich Director of Technology who developed oil-resistant rubber compositions, lab tests for tire treads, and improvements in manufacture of rubber products and the processing of synthetic rubber. Educ ...

–

Director of Technology who developed oil-resistant rubber compositions, lab tests for tire treads, and improvements in manufacture of rubber products and the processing of

synthetic rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubbe ...

Virgil A. Martin Virgil A. Martin (October 15, 1874 – January 9, 1941) was a business executive and member of the Los Angeles City Council between 1927 and 1931. Biography Martin was born October 15, 1874, in Tecumseh, Nebraska, the son of Judson W. Martin and ...

, Los Angeles, California, City Council member (1927–31) *

George Oenslager George Oenslager (September 25, 1873 – February 5, 1956) was a Goodrich chemist who discovered that a derivative of aniline accelerated the vulcanization of rubber with sulfur. He first introduced carbon black as a rubber reinforcing agent in 19 ...

–

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

known for pioneering vulcanization accelerator chemistry *

John D. Ong John Doyle Ong (born September 29, 1933, Ohio) is an American business executive. He served as United States Ambassador to Norway from 2002 to 2005. He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor's and master's degree before studying law ...

, CEO (1979-1996) and U.S. Ambassador to Norway (2002-2005) * Waldo L. Semon – early developer of synthetic rubber, in particular Ameripol for

References

*http://www.nndb.com/people/368/000164873/

External links

*
Turbine Fuel Technologies (A Goodrich Company)Delavan Spray Technologies (A Goodrich Company)
{{Authority control 1870 establishments in Ohio 2012 mergers and acquisitions Aircraft component manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Charlotte, North Carolina Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Defense companies of the United States Former components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average Manufacturing companies based in North Carolina Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2012 Manufacturing companies established in 1870 Superfund sites in California Superfund sites in Kentucky U.S. Synthetic Rubber Program