February 12, 1964
To the Stockholders of United States Rubber Company:
In the first half of 1963 our profit rose 2.7 per cent, despite 1.4 per cent lower sales. But strikes in nine plants during the second half of the year reduced net income for the year to $22,105,000, or 14 per cent below 1962.
Our 1963 sales of $980,230,000 were second highest in our history, but 2.6 per cent below the record high of $1,006,793,000 set in 1962. Sales increased, however, in many product categories and in several cases set new records.
The strikes, which prevented sales from exceeding the 1962 record, lasted for varying periods of time at three chemical and synthetic rubber plants, a plastic plant, a Canadian footwear plant and four of our five domestic tire plants.
Strike issues varied from place to place but in the longest and costliest strikes at our tire plants the most important issue was the Company’s need to revise loose work practices which had evolved during the war and post-war years and which had prevented the Company from making full use of its expensive manufacturing equipment. New contracts signed at these plants will improve our position and provide long range security in the interest of stockholders and employes alike.
Capital expenditures for new plants and the modernization of existing ones reached a new level of approximately 65 million dollars, compared with 48 million in 1962. These figures include our direct capital expenditures, the expenditure at our new tire plant in Alabama and our share of investment in joint ventures and affiliated companies. Outside the U.S. A., new investments included a plastics plant in Italy, a footwear plant in Spain, a rubber company in Australia and both a tire and chemical venture in Japan.
This new level of capital expenditures strengthens our profit potential for the future. It is a part of a 300-million-dollar long term expansion and modernization program, the largest in the Company’s history, which is described on the following pages.
The Company made new strides in distribution of its products, particularly tires. Many new tire dealers took on the U. S. Royal franchise because of the outstanding quality of our tires and the new merchandising techniques we have developed. We moved strongly into many shopping centers. In areas where we could not obtain suitable independent dealers, we continued to supplement our distribution by opening Company tire centers. We now have a total of 228 Company-owned tire distribution outlets.
In research and development, a number of new products were put into production. In addition, we committed several million dollars for plants to manufacture new products starting in 1964. Among these are Royalene – our new ethylene-propylene rubber – a new dyeable polypropylene fiber, and Expanded Royalite – a new plastic material now coming into use in auto body parts, truck cabs, house trailers, and a host of other products. Gratifying progress was made in the development of a new high speed, super performance tire based on Royalene rubber.
We completed the second full year of use of our CVC bonding agent in tires. This development and other advances allowed us to move into a position of leadership in tire quality and performance. Late in the year, we completed construction of a new tire proving ground on a 6,900-acre tract in Laredo, Texas. This is by far the most advanced of any tire testing facility in the world today and will insure our maintaining product leadership.
By order of the Board of Directors,
[Handwritten signatures]
President
Chairman