Rubber and plastics

 

Long before Alabama became an international car-making hub, the rubber and plastics industry was on solid footing with several major tire plants. The Goodyear factory in Gadsden was founded in 1929. Michelin’s Tuscaloosa factory dates to 1945. Today, three large plants – including Michelin’s Dothan facility – employ 3,720 Alabamians.

The defining aspect of the state’s rubber and plastics is product diversity. From surgical gloves to trash can liners to car components, Alabama covers the waterfront.

Goodyear

Opening in 1929, Goodyear’s Gadsden factory has expanded over the years to its current size of 2.8 million square feet. Today, the company employs 1,500 to make passenger, radial light truck and mini-spare tires for Goodyear, Kelly and Dunlop brands. Many are used as original equipment for Chrysler and Ford.

Since 2007, Goodyear has invested more than $125 million on building expansion and new/upgraded equipment. The economic impact on the community is notable. In 2009, Goodyear bought $20 million in goods and services from local vendors within a 50-mile radius.

Annual payroll in wages and benefits is $150 million.

Michelin North America

Radial passenger and light truck tires are made at the 1.6 million-square-foot Tuscaloosa factory with 1,430 employees. In Dothan, 540 employees manufacture radial light truck tires and bias mini-spares. Michelin has spent more than $600 million in capital investment at its Alabama plants since 1990.

Webster Industries

This manufacturer of food storage bags and trash can liners is the second largest employer in Montgomery County, with more than 700 workers and has the nation’s largest in-line bag-making machine.

A 250,000-square-foot production facility makes food and trash bags its own brands (Good Sense, Earth Sense, Handi-Bag, Sure Tuff and Good ‘N Tuff  labels) as well as private brands. Webster’s products are used by retail, industrial and commercial customers. The company has more than400,000-square-feet of warehouse space with more than 1.8 million cases of product on site at any given time.

Webster also operates a plastics recycling plant at the Montgomery campus, with more than 30 million pounds each year being recycled in to trash bags and liners for home and commercial use.

Showa Best Glove

Latex medical examination gloves are made in a 200,000-square-foot facility in the west Alabama town of Fayette. Located on a 40-acre site, Showa employs 233 to make gloves used by industry leaders Granger, Fisher Scientific and Fastenal.

The company has invested $5 million in recent expansion and upgrades and has a $6.3 million annual payroll.