KUALA LUMPUR – Throughout 16,000km and 8,400km of road expeditions across desert, snow and cobbled roads, Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and his co-driver Datuk Richard Curtis did not encounter a single puncture with the Goodyear tyres.
They took part in the 1997 and 2007 road expeditions on the Peking to Paris challenge and the 2015 Road to Mandalay rally, using Goodyear tyres on the sultan’s 1932 Ford Model B, 1940 Chevrolet Fangio Coupe, and 1956 Jaguar XK140 FHC.
This was shared in a Facebook post by the Selangor Royal Office today.
“With the announcement of the closure of Goodyear’s Shah Alam plant that was opened in 1972, Sultan Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj would like to express his commendation to this world-renown company for its contribution to the Selangor and Malaysian economy and automotive sector for the past 52 years.
“Goodyear Malaysia, one of the world’s top tyre manufacturing companies, has achieved excellent performance in both sales and technology.
“In October 1992, the company became the first Goodyear tyre plant to be certified for ISO 9002 standards, in 2002, it obtained the QS9000 and ISO 14001 certifications, followed by the ISO/TS 16949 certification in 2003.
“Goodyear was the tyre brand to be fitted in Malaysia’s first locally produced car, Proton Saga, back in 1985, on top of the honour of being the chosen tyre for the Ford Model T in 1908, the world’s first mass-affordable automobile,” according to the post.
Goodyear Malaysia will be closing its 52-year-old manufacturing plant in Shah Alam effective June 30, which is expected to be completed by year end, affecting 550 jobs.
This is part of the company’s “transformation programme”, which is meant to deliver significant margin expansion and create shareholder value.
The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority have mobilised a specialised team to help the 550 employees affected by the factory shutdown. – March 14, 2024