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- BUSINESS, Page 83Business NotesTIRESGulp! It's the Michelin Man
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- As global competition in the tire industry has intensified,
- overseas firms have rolled over their U.S. rivals and acquired
- many of them. In the past two years, such brands as Firestone
- and General Tire have been taken over by foreign manufacturers.
- Last week the U.S. ranks were further deflated when France's
- Michelin Group reached an agreement to take over Uniroyal
- Goodrich for $1.5 billion. The deal leaves Goodyear the last
- major U.S. contender.
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- Uniroyal Goodrich, which was formed by the merger of
- Uniroyal and B.F. Goodrich in 1986, sees the deal as vital to
- its long-term survival. In a business in which size has become
- synonymous with strength, Uniroyal Goodrich is looking to
- Michelin for financial might and technical know-how. If the
- merger is completed, the new company (combined 1988 sales: $10.9
- billion) may well surpass Goodyear ($10.8 billion) as the
- world's largest tiremaker.
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