Jacques Bajer, a former Ford Motor Co. engineer specializing in tires, the founder and president of Tire Systems Engineering Inc. in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, and a 2006 inductee into the Tire Industry Association’s Tire Industry Hall of Fame, died May 7 at Bon Secours Hospital in Grosse Pointe Park. He was 91.
Born in France, Bajer emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1950s. He worked at Ford from 1955 to 1970, where he was involved in the development of the tire uniformity grading machine and low-profile tire and a key figure in the radialization of the U.S. tire market.
His tireless work ethic resulted in the development of uniformity standards and OE specifications for tires, wheels and manufacturing consistency, which have remained unchanged for over 50 years. He held many patents on tire production and design.
In the early 1970s, Bajer established his own company, Tire Systems Engineering, a consultancy dedicated to road/tire/vehicle systems technology, where he worked until his death.
Bajer is survived by his three children, Christopher, Marc and Frédérique; his grandchildren, Paul, Nicolas, Sonia, Amelia and Lillian; great grandchildren, Howard, Veronica and Auguste; and his second wife, Anneliese.
