Going private was the making of auto parts manufacturer Accuride. For years, the enterprise had struggled as a unit within the giant Firestone Tire and Rubber Company (now Bridgestone/Firestone). Because Accuride’s business—making truck wheels and rims—was peripheral to Firestone’s core business, it found itself starved for resources and managerial attention.
A version of this article appeared in the June 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review.