...Business Risk: Fair Financial Risk: Significant + One of the three largest tire manufacturers in the world, with a well-recognized brand name. + Good geographic diversity and strong distribution channels, which should allow the company to take advantage of vehicle ownership growth in emerging markets. + High operating leverage that requires ongoing heavy maintenance spending as well as research and development costs, which could limit the company's ability to adjust its short-term production. + Exposure to volatile raw material costs, which could offset the company's ongoing efforts to reduce its cost structure and improve productivity. + We expect the company's debt-to-EBITDA metric to stay below 4x and its free operating cash flow (FOCF)-to-debt ratio to be at least 10% over the next two years. + Significant ongoing capital expenditure (capex) requirements of about $1 billion in 2018. + Considerable cash balances. + Continued pursuit of profitable growth, which should help sustain and...