B.F. Goodrich Company

Akron, OH.

From the description of Trade catalogs, ca.1915. (College of Physicians of Philadelphia). WorldCat record id: 122579155

The B.F. Goodrich Company began in 1870. Originally called Goodrich, Tew and Company, the organization was founded by Benjamin Franklin Goodrich, Harvey W. Tew, Henry S. Sanderson, Robert Newland, and David N. Marvin. Their partnership was intended to make rubber and because of their choice of location in Akron, Goodrich, Tew and Company (GTC) became the first rubber company west of the Allegheny Mountains. GTC bought four lots on Factory Street in Akron, Ohio in 1870. The first of the company's buildings was erected in 1871. Originally, GTC sold fire hose, tubing, and billiard cushions. In 1874 the original partnership dissolved leaving Goodrich, Newland, and Marvin to form the company under a new name: B.F. Goodrich and Company (BFG&C). The company saw major growth over the remaining twenty-five years leading up to the twentieth century due to the introduction of various kinds of tires for bicycles and carriages such as solid rubber tires for both bicycles (1885) and carriages (1887), Palmer pneumatic fabric bicycle tires (1889), and clincher-type fabric automobile tires (1897). The success led to the need to expand and over the course of 1898 branches opened in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit. Rubber successes continued into the twentieth century with Palmer cord tires (1900), low-pressure balloon tires (1909), solid rubber industrial tires (1911), and "all black" pneumatic tire tread which boasted greatly increased tire mileage (1912). The company also became an associate member of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers during this time. In 1910 BFG&C started erecting road markers for drivers and issued road maps in 1912. That same year also saw the acquisition of the Diamond Rubber Company which was the second rubber competitor established in Akron at the time. Along with its successes in the rubber industry, BFG&C had just as many achievements in chemical research. 1915 saw the start of manufacturing of nitrobenzene and aniline; BFG&C had one of the earliest aniline manufacturing plants in U.S. Thiocarbanilide, a derivative of aniline, manufacturing began the very next year. Goodrich maintained a monopoly on distribution. In 1927 Goodrich commercially produced phenyl beta napthylamine for the first time. This compound is essential to mass production of American-made rubber which will be relied upon during World War II. The B.F. Goodrich Pacific Coast tire factory was established in 1928 in Los Angeles to serve the growing West Coast market. B.F. Goodrich was awarded the Army-Navy "E" award for excellence in manufacture of products for the armed forces. Among the accomplishments was production of gas masks in World War I, the government's first non-rigid airship in 1917, rubber tracks used for track-laying tractors, tanks, and other military transportation equipment in 1933 and the de-icer for airplane wings. During World War II, Goodrich created the world's first synthetic rubber to use because natural rubber supplies were cut off. They worked hand-in-hand with the U.S. Government who financed much of the project and distribution. Following the end of the war, Goodrich bought one of the manufacturing facilities and moved more into the production of synthetic rubbers. The Post-War years saw Goodrich moving in numerous directions all at once with its various divisions. Prior to the war the war Goodrich came up with the "zipper" for footwear which led to a shoe division. The chemical division came up with the "anode" surgical gloves which could be repeatedly sterilized along with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production which became the big seller for the division. Aerospace Company - a newer division - provided the space suits for Project Mercury in 1961 though they lost the bid with NASA to outfit the astronauts for the trip to the Moon a few years later. They also sold disk brakes to Boeing for the 707's. The 1960's were a decade of decline for Goodrich. The rubber division lagged behind the competitors making it the smallest of the "big 4." The introduction of the radial tire - meant to be the saving grace - did not do enough to turn things around for the company though sales were better than they'd been in years. The footwear division saw a decline in the late 1960's due to the demand for more variety in footwear and stores were either sold or leased out at a loss. Goodrich diminished its presence in foreign markets by selling off out of state assets in Asia and Europe. The chemical division remained profitable though a rare kind of cancer became tied to the PVC creation process, creating a public backlash. Goodrich briefly worked with the government to supply fuel for air-to-air missiles. This relationship ended in 1962 when it ceased to be profitable though they continued to sell the materials used to make the propellants. By the 1980's, Goodrich struggled financially and began restructuring to counteract the losses. It moved further and further away from rubber until it completely left the rubber industry in 1988. The chemical division saw a change as well, selling off its primary PVC factory so that it could focus more on specialty goods for niche markets. In 1986 Goodrich merged with Uniroyal to become the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company but due to various problems and miscalculations, the company did not last long and it ended in 1988 along with Goodrich's tire business. The company restructured once again, becoming BFGoodrich and focused on becoming a technological leader in its manufacturing fields.

From the guide to the B.F. Goodrich Company Records (1868-1990), 1870-1981, 1928-1968, (Archival Services, University Libraries, The University of Akron)