CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
Fifteen years after exiting the tire
business, the BFGoodrich Co. plans to change its name to signify
its focus on the aerospace industry.
BFGoodrich said Monday it will seek shareholder approval April
17 to change its legal name to Goodrich Corp. effective June 1.
The 130-year-old company, founded by Benjamin Franklin Goodrich
and once one of the world's largest manufacturer or rubber
products, left the tire industry in 1986. Michelin bought the
company's tire business and the BFGoodrich tire brand.
Goodrich chairman and chief executive David Burner said the
changes will allow the company to distance itself from its former
tire business and reflect its focus on manufacturing aerospace
components, systems and services.
About 84 percent of the company's $4.4 billion in annual
revenues now comes from the aerospace industry, compared with 7
percent in 1985.
