Goodyear Signs Tire Contract with Pacific Gas and Electric

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced today that it has signed a three-year contract to supply tires and business solutions to Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

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Goodyear will supply PG&E with a wide variety of truck tires, including replacement and retreads, as well as tire services and system controls. PG&E operates more than 12,000 trucks and specialty equipment in serving electric and natural gas customers in central and northern California.

Steve McClellan, Goodyear vice president of commercial tire systems, said, "We're excited about this new relationship with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, one of the nation's top utilities in a high-growth area. Increasingly, utility fleets that provide infrastructure and keep energy flowing for growing communities are an important area for Goodyear products and services.

"We've worked hard to develop innovative products and fleet solutions that will help lower PG&E's tire cost per mile, improve vehicle uptime and provide relevant data on their fleet tire needs," McClellan said.

David Meisel, director of transportation and engineering for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., said, "With tires as one of the largest expense of any fleet, the need to manage a successful tire program is critical. At PG&E, we look at the total cost structure associated with our tire program.

"In addition to the initial purchase price, we focus on the quality of the original tire, the casing, the retread and retread process as well as the distribution network.

"Goodyear has shown that it can deliver on all counts with an effective tire maintenance program," Meisel said.

Based in San Francisco, Pacific Gas and Electric Company is one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. The subsidiary of the PG&E Corporation provides natural gas and electric service to 15 million people in northern and central California. For more information on the utility company, go to http://www.pge.com/.

Goodyear commercial tire systems offer complete products and services to the trucking industry, including a full range of original equipment and replacement tires. In addition, the company's cradle-to-grave tire and service network includes retreading, tire management tools and business solutions for tomorrow's trucking fleets. For more information on Goodyear's line of commercial tires, go to http://www.goodyear.com/truck.