The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has opened its first office in the Silicon Valley to connect with automakers, suppliers and mobility-related startups working on the next generation of vehicles and service models.
The company’s initial focus areas for its Silicon Valley office are to optimise tyres and service solutions for autonomous vehicles and ride sharing fleets; to utilise tyre and vehicle data to plan for tyre replacement and service; and to connect with leaders in the automotive industry to accelerate its own innovation platforms.
“People don’t immediately associate tyres with the digital transformation in the automotive industry,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s Chief Technology Officer. “But we see an unprecedented opportunity for tyre electronics and information systems to improve vehicle performance, safety and, ultimately, the consumer experience.”
As an innovation leader in the global tyre industry, Goodyear has nearly 120 years of tyre and vehicle expertise and knowledge, ranging from passenger vehicles and commercial trucks to aircraft and earthmovers.
The new Goodyear office is located in Sunnyvale, California, at the Plug and Play Tech Center, the world’s largest global technology accelerator and venture fund. Goodyear is a founding member of Plug and Play’s mobility platform, launched in 2016.
“Our goal is to build smarter, connected products and services for future generations of vehicles and business models,” said Helsel. “We are open for business in the Silicon Valley to connect with the best and brightest thinkers around the future of mobility.”
Its Silicon Valley office is an extension of the company’s global innovation network that includes innovation centres, development centres and tyre proving grounds. The network also includes open innovation partnerships with numerous customers, suppliers, governments and universities.
固特异拓展创新网络
硅谷开设分行
近日，固特异轮胎橡胶公司在加利福尼亚州的硅谷科技枢纽开设了第一家办事处，与汽车制造商、供应商和汽车相关的初创公司建立合作关系，专注于开发下一代车辆以及探索新服务模式。
固特异硅谷办事处的主要任务包括：为自动驾驶车辆及共乘车队提供更加优化的轮胎产品和服务；基于轮胎和车辆数据为轮胎替换及相关服务制定规划；同汽车行业中的领军企业开展合作，加快自身创新平台发展。
固特异首席技术主管赫尔塞尔（Chris Helsel）表示：“目前，很多人还不会将轮胎与汽车行业中的数字化变革联系在一起。但我们已经洞察到，轮胎电子系统和轮胎信息系统为提升车辆性能、出行安全以及消费者体验带来了前所未有的机遇。”
作为全球轮胎行业中的创新领袖，固特异拥有近120年轮胎和车辆领域专业知识和技术，业务涉及乘用车、商用卡车、飞机和重型推土机等领域。公司的新办事处设在加利福尼亚州桑尼维尔的即插即用技术中心–世界上最大的全球技术加速器和创投基金所在地。即插即用技术中心于2016年推出出行平台，而固特异是这一平台的创始成员之一。
他表示：“我们的目标是为未来车辆及商业模式提供更智能化和互联化的产品和服务。我们在硅谷开设办事处，旨在与最优秀、最具创新思维的公司围绕未来出行领域展开合作。”
固特异硅谷办事处的开设，是公司进一步拓展全球创新网络，致力于为未来自动驾驶提供新方案的重要举措。固特异的全球创新网络包括遍布世界各地的创新中心、开发中心和轮胎测试场，还包括与众多客户、供应商、政府机关和高等院校建立的开放式创新合作关系。
