Charles J. Pilliod, Jr.

Charles J. Pilliod Jr. (October 20, 1918 – April 18, 2016) was an American business executive and diplomat. He was ambassador to Mexico from 1986 to 1989.

Biography Pilliod served in World War II from 1942 to 1945 as a pilot in the 20th Air Force. He flew the Boeing B-29 Superfortress over China and Japan.

Pilliod was the CEO of the Goodyear tire company from 1974 to 1983. He eventually moved to export sales, living in Panama, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and England. As a result of his actions, today only Goodyear, of the five biggest U.S. tire firms, remains independent.

At the time, the U.S. tire industry built tires based on bias ply technology, dating to 1888. In 1946, Michelin developed the radial tire method of construction, which quickly spread in France, Michelin's home country. Because of its superiority in tread life, handling, safety from blowouts, and fuel economy, use of this technology quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia. In 1968, Consumer Reports, an influential American magazine, acknowledged the superiority of radial construction, and in 1971 the Lincoln Continental Mark III became the first American made car with standard OEM radial tires.

Radial tires required different methods of construction, and the U.S. manufacturers were not set up to produce this product. Industry estimates of this investment were substantial, and Goodyear eventually invested close to $3 Billion in this new technology. For comparison, Michelin bought competitor Uniroyal-Goodrich in 1989 for just $1.5 Billion. The workforce also needed to be retrained, since radials required greater "accuracy and consistency" in construction. Despite heavy criticism at the time, Pilliod invested heavily in new factories and tooling to build the radial tire.