Industry News

Bridgestone: Investing in High-Value PC Tire Production in China  Link...

Bridgestone is expected to invest a total of approximately 562 million yuan in its PCR plants in China over the next three years. The investment will focus on increasing the proportion of high-performance passenger car tire production, aiming to better meet the diverse needs of the Chinese consumer market and provide higher-end and diversified products and services.

The main investment of US$26 million is for Bridgestone (Wuxi) Tire Co., Ltd. in 2024 to expand the production capacity of high-end passenger car tires. After the factory is upgraded, it will increase the production of tires using ENLITEN® technology, and is committed to applying the group's ENLITEN® technology, which uses unique recyclable materials and new mixing processes, to more tire products to improve tire wear performance and extend tire service life. and vehicle mileage to achieve the purpose of saving resources, reducing carbon emissions, and contributing to the realization of Bridgestone's sustainable development goals. At the same time, in order to meet the needs of Chinese consumers for a quiet and comfortable driving environment, the factory will also add a tire production line equipped with B-SILENT silent cotton technology, and the annual tire output is expected to reach 2 million.

In addition to Bridgestone (Wuxi) Tire Co., Ltd., Bridgestone Group has also increased its investment in Bridgestone (Tianjin) Tire Co., Ltd. At the end of 2023, Bridgestone (Tianjin) Tire Co., Ltd. has planned to invest 54.73 million yuan to transform the equipment in the existing factory area, and plans to complete the construction and put into production in August 2025.

Bridgestone: Updating Technological Capabilities at Burgos, Spain Tire Plant  Link...

Bridgestone EMEA has announced an historic investment of up to 207 million euros in its Burgos passenger tyre manufacturing site in Spain. The investment aims to raise tyre manufacturing to the highest level of excellence and sustainability.

The investment targets production of high-value High Rim Diameter (HRD) tyres (18” and above), with a productivity boost of around 20% compared to the current levels. This increase in manufacturing capacity will help Bridgestone Europe meet customers' demand for premium and high-tech tyres.

The Burgos manufacturing facility, one of the largest production sites for Bridgestone passenger car tyres globally, will see a 75% increase in its HRD tyre production capacity to more than 7 million premium tyres. In addition, this transformation will see the Burgos plant become one of Bridgestone’s biggest producers of van tyres in Europe. The manufacturing mix will evolve strategically from the traditional small, low rim diameter tyres (LRD), towards the high-value larger ones.

Bridgestone: Withdrawing from Commercial TBR Tire Business in China  Link...

Bridgestone is strengthening its premium PC Tire focus in China, a plan which has been ongoing since 2021. This effort is being intensified with the ceasation of TBR tire production and sales within the first half of 2024. Bridgestone (Shenyang) Tire Co ceased production on January 26 2024 and Bridgestone (China) Investment Co is plannig to cease operations in the first half of 2024.

Bridgestone: Completes Sale of Russian Assets to S8 Capital  Link...

Bridgestone has completed the sale of its tire manufacturing plant in Ulyanovks, together with its sales and marketing office in Moscow, to S8 Capital, a Russian diversified holding company. The sale follows suspension of all manufacturing activities in March 2022.

Bridgestone: Consolidating Tire Production in Thailand  Link...

Bridgestone has completed consolidation of its tire manufacturing footprint in Thailand. As a result, tire production has ceased at the Rangsit plant with PC production being consolidated into the Nong Khae plan (completed June, 2022) and TBR production being consolidated into the Chonburi plant (completed October 2023).

Bridgestone: Investing to Meet 2030 Long Term Strategic Aspiration  Link...

Bridgestone will invest a total of 276 billion JPY to complete capacity expansions for its premium tire business as part of its 2030 Long Term Strategic Aspiration. This includes 96 billion JPY investments in 2023. The plan calls for:

• Strengthening of manufacturing for premium PCR tires at 20 sites globally including increasing capacity for high-rim diameter (HRD) tires and increasing the mix of ENLITEN products, especially for EV era.
• Invest in tires for mining and construction vehicles using core technology MASTERCORE and reinforcing production at the Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu plants as well as the Saga steel cord plant.
• Invest to reinforce production of truck and bus tires with investment at the Warren and Chonburi (global supply) plants. Expand retread production in the US and Japan.
• Invest in production of premium race and sports motorcycle tires, expanding capacity at the Nasu plant

Future investments (2024-26) will focus on Green and Smart factories. Key technologies moving forward are ENLITEN for tire performance and BCMA (Bridgestone Commonality Modularity Architecture) for modular tire production.

Bridgestone: Develops Tire Using 75% Recycled and Renewable Materials  Link...

Bridgestone Americas has produced a run of demonstration tires made with 75% recycled and renewable materials (37% recycled, 38% renewable), including synthetic rubber made with recycled plastics and natural rubber harvested from desert shrubs grown domestically, in the Arizona desert. The company has completed production of 200 demonstration tires and is pursuing joint evaluation with automakers for use on the next generation of electrified SUVs and crossovers (CUVs).

Designed and engineered at Bridgestone’s Americas Technology Center in Akron, Ohio, the new tires were produced at the company’s Aiken County Passenger/Light Truck Radial Tire Plant in Graniteville, South Carolina. The Aiken plant is the first tire manufacturing facility in America to earn International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification for transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials including bio, bio-circular and circular-based material.

Bridgestone: Announces New Investments in Costa Rica Tire Plant  Link...

Bridgestone has announced a total investment of 250 million USD in its Belén de Heredia, Costa Rica plant. This is an additional 190 million USD on top of the 60 million USD planned for 2022-26.

The project, due for completion by 2026, will expand production of premium tires by up to 36%.

Bridgestone: Initiating Process to Find Local Buyer for Its Russian Assets  Link...

Bridgestone has announced that it has started the process to find a local buyer for its Russian assets. Bridgestone has been present in Russia since 1998, the main location is the tire manufacturing plant in Ulyanovsk with supporting sales and marketing in Moscow.

Bridgestone: Expanding Abilene Banday Retread Tire Plant  Link...

Bridgestone Americas has announced an investment of $60 million to expand its Bridgestone Bandag, LLC manufacturing plant in Abilene, Texas.

The expansion of the Abilene plant is aimed at the growing demand for the company’s tread rubber products, driven by the rapid growth of its retread business. The expansion includes an immediate increase in operational activity by running on six and seven-day production schedules, as well as the construction of new mixing operations at the facility. The mixing operations are expected to be completed and in operation by January 2025. The investment in the facility and the additional days of operations increase the plant’s output by 16 percent, furthering Bridgestone’s commitment to sustainable solutions.

Bridgestone: Announces Additional Investment in Bahia Plant  Link...

Bridgestone Brazil has announced an additional investment in its tire production plant in Camaçari, in the state of Bahia. The investment is required to keep up with growing market demand for HP tires.

Tire production will increase, thanks to new manufacturing technologies and the growing application of industry 4.0 concepts, including artificial intelligence control technology that increases productivity and the application of knowledge and data in a digital manufacturing environment. Aligned with the company's vision of generating social and customer value, Bridgestone's plant in Camaçari is preparing for growth in demand for electric/hybrid and sustainable vehicles – and the high-performance tires to equip them.

Bridgestone: Expanding Warren County TBR Plant  Link...

Bridgestone’s flagship truck and bus radial tire plant is expanding capabilities to support growing demand in the commercial vehicle sector and to accelerate data-driven solutions for more efficient fleet operations.

The investment will allow for all tires made in Warren to be equipped with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that enable more efficient asset management and optimization of fleets’ investments in tires, including retreading. The plant will incorporate technology for digital readiness in tires, including the integration of tire-mounted sensors that support advanced, data-driven insights for more efficient fleet management. Bridgestone will also invest in AI control technology that increases productivity and the application of knowledge and data in a digital manufacturing environment.

The expansion of the 32-year-old facility is expected to begin before the end of this year, with construction expected to be substantially completed by May 2024.

Bridgestone: Investing in Motorcycle Tire Production at Nasu, Japan Plant  Link...

Bridgestone is investing in its Nasu, Japan plant to expand supply capability for racing motorcycle tires which are considered part of its premium business strategy. The expansion will start in 2026 with annual production capacity expanding by 90k units.

Bridgestone: Consolidating Retread Aircraft Tyres Manufacturing Footprint in Asia  Link...

Bridgestone is consolidating part of its manufacturing footprint for retread aircraft tires in Asia. Sales and manufacturing operations in Hong Kong, China are to be consolidated into manufacturing located in Chonburi, Thailand by the end of June 2023.

Bridgestone: Opens More Sustainable Race Tire Production Facility in Akron, USA  Link...

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) celebrated the grand opening of its new Advanced Tire Production Center (ATPC) in Akron, Ohio. Home to 60 expert tire builders and manufacturing professionals, the ATPC will manufacture all Firestone Firehawk race tires for the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES.

Bridgestone: Partner with DOW to Develop Breakthrough Tire Sealant Technology  Link...

Bridgestone Americas and Dow have partnered to develop B-SEALS, a recyclable, silicone-based tire sealant technology. The extended mobility solution will be introduced at the upcoming 2022 Silicone Expo in Detroit (June 21-23), and represents more than four years of joint research and development between the two companies.

B-SEALS technology provides excellent sealant performance in the event of a puncture without compromising sustainability. Unlike conventional sealants that are difficult to separate from tires, this silicone-based sealant can be efficiently removed after application, promoting tire repairability and potentially extending the amount of time a tire is in service. Because it’s removable and recyclable, B-SEALS sealant technology also supports end-of-life tire recycling and enables tire material circularity.

Bridgestone: Debuting Race Tire Made with Guayule-Derived Natural Rubber   Link...

As part of a broader initiative to accelerate the use of sustainable technologies in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Bridgestone Americas has announced plans to debut Firestone Firehawk race tires made with guayule natural rubber grown and extracted at the company’s guayule R&D facilities in Arizona. The guayule race tire, featuring a new green sidewall, will be introduced during the Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge on May 27. Firestone Firehawk alternate race tires made from guayule rubber will make their competition debut at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville on August 6-7.

Bridgestone: Partnering with LanzaTech for End-of-Life Tire Recycling Technologies  Link...

Bridgestone is partnering with Carbon Capture and Transformation company LanzaTech to develop a scaled solution for recycling end-of-life tires. The two companies will co-develop the first dedicated end-of-life tire recycling process leveraging LanzaTech’s proprietary CCT technology, creating a pathway toward tire material circularity and the decarbonization of new tire production.

Bridgestone and LanzaTech seek to develop a new business model that will create a post-consumer waste management strategy for end-of-life tires, while also driving increased adoption of sustainably sourced chemicals for commercial applications. Applying LanzaTech’s carbon capture and gas fermentation process to end-of-life tires yields sustainably produced chemicals such as ethanol that can be converted to materials such as PET for packaging, polyester yarn and surfactants used in consumer home goods like laundry detergent. In addition, Bridgestone and LanzaTech will jointly explore opportunities to co-develop proprietary microbe technology to produce more efficient pathways to produce butadiene, a key ingredient in new tire production, realizing true circularity for end-of-life tires.

Bridgestone: and Michelin Release rCB Position Paper  Link...

Bridgestone and Michelin have released a position paper focused on their joint initiative to increase the use of recovered carbon black. The position paper outlines the reasoning behind this important call to action and the goals both Bridgestone and Michelin plan to achieve through this collaboration.

Bridgestone: Suspends Local Manufacaturing and Export to Russia  Link...

Bridgestone has suspended operations at its Russian PC tire plant and has frozen all new capital investment with effect from 18th March 2022. Exports of tires to Russia were suspended from 14th March 2022. The Bridgestone Group is continuing its humanitarian support efforts for Ukraine.

Bridgestone: Launching Joint Project with ENEOS Focusing on Producing Tire Raw Materials from Used Tires  Link...

Bridgestone and ENEOS have announced the launch of a joint research and development project aimed at achieving the social implementation of "chemical recycling technologies that enable precise pyrolysis of used tires". The aim of the project is to develop a recycling business that will convert used tires to raw materials, enabling a more sustainable society. The joint project will work to develop chemical recycling technologies for used tires by merging the advanced rubber and polymer material design technologies Bridgestone has cultivated with the crude oil refining technologies and foundational basic chemical product manufacturing technologies of ENEOS.

Specifically, the companies will engage in demonstrations for social implementation of chemical recycling technologies for achieving high-yield production of chemical products, such as butadiene, a raw material used in synthetic rubber. These technologies will entail breaking down used tires through precise pyrolysis to produce petrochemical feedstocks (naphtha, etc.) which in turn will be utilized to manufacture petrochemical products. The large-scale demonstrations will be advanced toward 2030 with the goal of achieving mass production and swift commercialization.

Bridgestone: Pursuing Development of Chemical Recycling Technologies for Producing Isoprene from Used Tires  Link...

Bridgestone has announced the launch of a joint research and development program with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tohoku University, ENEOS Corporation and JGC HOLDINGS CORPORATION. This program is aimed at developing chemical recycling technologies that utilize used tires to achieve high-yield production of isoprene, a raw material for synthetic rubber.

Bridgestone: Expanding Production Capacity for Premium PC Tires in Japan  Link...

Bridgestone is expanding production capacity of premium tires at four of its tire plants in Japan: Tochigi, Hikone, Hofo and Tosu. The expansion is part of Bridgestone's Mid Term Business plan to reinforce company structure towards production of premium products.

Construction will start Q1 2022 leading to an increase of approximately 6.2k tires/day by 2025 (a 10% increase on current capacity). Core to the premium product initiative is expansion of high rim diameter tires coupled with incorporation of ENLITEN technology. The ultimate aim is to establish ENLITEN as a forward premium business model incorporating sustainable and economic value through the whole value chain.

Bridgestone: Consolidating TBR Manufacturing Footprint in China  Link...

As part of its mid-term business plan, Bridgestone is restructing its manufacturing footprint for truck and bus radial tires in China. Bridgestone will close its Huizhou truck plant by the end of December 2021, consolidating production at its Shenyang plant. For customers and suppliers, Bridgestone has maintained to provide products and services from Shenyang as well as other sites in other regions.

Bridgestone: Targetting 90% of Replacement Tires to Incorporate ENLITEN by 2030.  Link...

Bridgestone has emphasised the continued rollout of its ENLITEN technology which reduces the weight of PC tires by 20% and improves rolling resistance by 30% compared to other tires on the market. ENLITEN is currently the focus of OE fitments in Europe with full scale expansion to both OE and RP in Europe planned by 2024. The group has set a target of equiping 90% RP tires globally by 2030. Approximately 70% of RP tires in EU and USMCA and 10% of RP tires in China and Japan are expected to be equiped with the technology.

Bridgestone: Expanding Plant in Bahia, Brazil  Link...

Bridgestone Brazil is making a new investment in its Camaçari plant in Bahia, Brazil. The investment of approximately 139 million USD is for modernisation and expansion (+20%) of the plant with a focus on high-tech and premium tires.

The plant expansion and modernization project includes an increase in annual production from 3.5 million to 4.3 million tires, with new manufacturing technologies and the increasing application of Industry 4.0 concepts. The plant is gearing up for the growing demand for eco-friendly electric/hybrid vehicles and associated tire requirements.

Bridgestone: Invests in Kodiak Robotics Autonomous Long-Haul Trucking Technology  Link...

Bridgestone has made a minority investment in Kodiak Robotics, a US based self-driving trucking company. The partnership allows Bridgestone to integrate its smart-sensing tire technologies and fleet solutions into Kodiak’s level 4 autonomous trucks. The companies will also pilot future autonomous and smart tire technologies to further enhance vehicle intelligence and advance toward a safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mobility future.

Kodiak moves freight autonomously for its customers using its fleet of level 4 self-driving long-haul trucks in the state of Texas with a safety driver on board. With plans to deploy driverless trucks in the next few years, full vehicle intelligence is a major key to unlocking safe, efficient and sustainable autonomy for Kodiak and its customers.

Bridgestone: Investing in Shimonoseki OTR Plant  Link...

Bridgestone is investing 10.2 billion JPY in its flagship OTR production base located at Shimonoseki, Japan. Installation is set to begin in 2022 and be completed by the end of 2025. The new equipment will further enhance the company's production system in terms of safety, disaster preparedness, eco-friendliness, quality, and productivity.

The Bridgestone Group is developing its mining tire and solutions business on a global scale. The installation of cutting-edge equipment at the Shimonoseki Plant will be an important part of strengthening and expanding the mining tire and solutions business as called for by the Group's Mid-Term Business Plan

Bridgestone: Mid Term Business Plan for 2021 to 2023  Link...

Bridgestone have presented their mid term business plan for 2021 to 2023 as a building block for their longer term 2030 and 2050 plans which transition Bridgestone to a mobility solutions provider as part of the Bridgestone 3.0. third foundation strategy. The mid term plan looks to establish a value in-use based business model as well as to commercialise recycling solutions.

The plan calls for bold actions including optimisation and improvements for maximum use of existing production capacities. This will be done continuously over the next 10 years with planned global manufacturing footprint restructuring looking towards a 40% reduction by 2023 from approximately 190 sites in 2019 (including diversified products and material manufacturing sites).

Focus will be on high value products including high rim diameter PC tires, electric vehicle and shared mobility tires and customer mobility solutions.

Sustainability is being built into the framework with a focus on product environmental performance through production and use as well as sustainable and recyclable material development.

Bridgestone: Closes Port Elizabeth Plant  Link...

Bridgestone has finalised the closure of its tire manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The plant's last day of operation will be 15th November 2020.

Bridgestone: Announces Discontinuation of Kart Tire Supply in 2022  Link...

Bridgestone Corporation have announced that it plans to discontinue supply of kart tires (bias tires primarily used for racing karts) effective December 31, 2022.

The decision to discontinue kart tire supply was made via careful examination of the company's portfolio and resource allocation to reflect operating environment changes consistent with the Group's Mid-Long Term Business Strategy. However, Bridgestone will be fully responsible for the supply of kart tires until December 31, 2022, at which time outstanding supply contracts with customers are scheduled to conclude.

Bridgestone stated that it will continue its longstanding, passionate participation in motorsports.

Bridgestone: Ceasing Activity at its Bethune Plant, France  Link...

Due to the challenging long-term EU passenger tire market, Bridgestone has decided to stop all activity at its Bethune, France plant. The Bethune plant is the least well positioned plant to cope with current and future market headwinds, including low overall market growth and strong competition from low cost Asian brands, especially in low diameter segments.

The closure project will not take place before Q2 2021.

Bridgestone: Proposing Closure of Port Elizabeth Plant, South Africa  Link...

Bridgestone Sourthern Africa (BSAF) has announced its proposal to close its bias tire manufacturing plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This is in line with the recently announced mid-long term business strategy focusing on strengthening Bridgestone's core tire business through focus on permium, profitable growth segments.

BSAF has in recent years seen its financial performance come under pressure due to a variety of economic conditions and industry factors. In addition, Bridgestone’s Port Elizabeth plant is specifically geared towards the production of older bias tyres, which are globally in decline and being phased out in South Africa as it is an unprofitable market. The effects of a shrinking economy and an influx of cheap imports compounded by rapid changes in the tyre industry has prompted BSAF to restructure its operations.

Bridgestone: Groundbreaking ENLITEN Technology on Volkswagen's All-Electric ID.3  Link...

Bridgestone's specially engineered Turanza Eco tires employing ENLITEN Technology are being used on Volkswagen's new all-electric ID.3 vehicle. The ENLITEN technology provides tires with super low rolling resistance achieved in part by reduced material requirements of up to 2Kg per tire. The tires are engineered to maximise wet grip and wear performance as well as providing an enhanced driving experience.

Bridgestone: New Mid-Long Term Business Strategy Framework to 2050  Link...

Bridgestone Corporation has announced a new Mid-Long Term Business Strategy Framework with a forward-looking vision to 2050 and beyond. This will focus the company around becoming a leader in Sustainable Mobility and Advanced Solutions, while leveraging its unique strengths and breadth of its core tire and rubber business.

Three main strategies are put forward to accomplish the vision:

• Leveraging sustainability as a competitive advantage and core aspect of its business
• Enhancing the solutions business through a unique platform: Bridgestone T&DPaaS
• Evolve and grow a mobility solutions business.

Bridgestone T&DPaaS (Bridgestone Tire and Diversified Products as a Solution) is Bridgestone's unique solutions business platform for supporting the mobility ecosystem.

Bridgestone: Americas Start At-Scale Use of Recovered Carbon Black  Link...

Bridgestone Americas announced the at-scale use of recovered carbon black (rCB) as part of its long-standing partnership with Delta-Energy Group LLC. To date Bridgestone has purchased 235 MT of rCB, by the end of 2020 Bridgestone plan to increase the use of D-E Black to 6800MT.

Bridgestone began evaluating Delta-Energy's material in 2007 and became an equity partner in late 2014. Since that time, the use of D-E Black® as a partial replacement for virgin carbon black in new tires has undergone extensive testing. This ensures compliance with the necessary standards, quality and performance.

Bridgestone: Opens New Construction and Mining Tire Factory in Thailand  Link...

Bridgestone Speciality Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation has opened its new factor for radial construction and mining tires. Production is stated as 35 tons/day.

Bridgestone: Introduction of Concept Tires Using World's First Hybrid Polymer  Link...

Bridgestone is exhibiting concept tires at the Tokyo Motor Show which utilise its recently developed high strength rubber (HSR). HSR provides significant benefits in crack and wear resistance as well as improved tensile strength and a wider operating temperature range.

In a separate announcement Bridgestone have named the HSR polymer technology as Susym. The name being derived from the words "sustain", "symphony" and "symbiosis".

Bridgestone: Introduces Enliten - A New Lightweight Tire Technology  Link...

Bridgestone has announced the launch of Enliten, a new innovative lightweight tire technology. The technology allows tire weight to be reduced by 10% with associated benefits in rolling resistance of up to 20%. Tire wear is maintained and handling and stability are also improved.
The benefits are derived from an innovative approach to tire design and production. A proprietary compound enables improved wear performance allowing a decrease in tread depth. A reduced thickness and reinforced inner liner coupled with a new dedicated mould concept also contribute to the approach.

Bridgestone: Planning New Firestone Racing Tire Manufacturing Facility  Link...

In support of the five year partnership extension between INDYCAR and Bridgestone Americas, Bridgestone have announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art racing tire manufacturing facility in Akron, Ohio. The new facility will be in close proximity to the current race tire manufacturing unit also based in Akron, Ohio.

Bridgestone: Selects Dassault Systèms for Smart Factory Program  Link...

Dassault Systèmes is supporting Bridgestone EMEA on its new smart factory program to optimize plant performance by digitally transforming its tire production planning and execution across Europe. Bridgestone EMEA will use the DELMIA Apriso and QUINTIQ applications powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to manage its manufacturing operations, its production planning and to optimize eight production sites in Europe. All their intelligent connected systems including thousands of machines, devices and sensors, but also Bridgestone employees will be synchronized in a virtual environment that will provide a single source of real-time data on production and maintenance activities. Bridgestone EMEA will therefore be able to reduce the planning cycle from weeks to days, increase the use of plant assets, and quickly respond to production disruptions using one integrated solution.

Brisa Bridgestone: Production Starts at New Smart Factory in Aksaray, Turkey  Link...

Brisa Bridgestone has started production at its new smart PC and LT tire plant in central Turkey. The new plant is rated at 4.2 million tires pa.

Bridgestone: Expansion of Warren County, Tennessee Truck Tire Plant  Link...

Bridgestone is expanding its Warren County, Tennessee truck tire plant.The $40 million expansion will increase plant capacity by 275 tires per day, bringing daily production capacity to 9400 by the end of 2020. The investment will increase capacity and also improve capabilities to deliver next-generation products for mobility efficiency.

Bridgestone: Expanding OTR Tire Production at Bloomington, Illinois Plant  Link...

Bridgestone Americas is investing $12 million to expand production of OTR tire sizes at its Bloomington plant. The plant will now produce multiple sizes and patterns in 29, 22 and 35 inch OTR tires which have up to now only been made in Japan.

Bridgestone: Investing in European Operations  Link...

Bridgestone has announced it will invest approximately 266 million Euro into three key European manufacturing sites. Facilities in Spain (Burgos) and Poland (Poznan and Stargard) will be significantly upgraded to drive a richer product mix in terms of both brands and sizes. The investment will expand plant capacity with new equipment in order to optimise existing production lines. Changes include advanced production technology in autonomous vehicle systems and high-capacity machinery. These technologies will enhance the plants' ability to produce sophisticated tires and will boost output capacity by more than 20 per cent. The investment will be phased over the next five years, with all upgrades being completed by early 2022

Bridgestone: Planning two Aircraft Tire Facilities in Thailand  Link...

Tokyo (December 22, 2016) - Bridgestone Corporation today announced plans to construct two new manufacturing plants in Thailand. One plant will produce new aircraft tires, while the second plant will produce retread aircraft tires. The total investment will be approximately JPY15.0 billion and both new plants are scheduled to start production in December 2019.

Bridgestone: Construction Complete at Ulyanovsk Plant, Russia  Link...

Bridgestone has completed construction at its new Russian plant wit production due to start before the end of this year. The plant will produce passenger tires with a final capacity of 12 k tires/day.

Bridgestone: Divests Venezuelan Business Unit  Link...

Bridgestone Americas has reached an agreement to divest its business unit in Venezuela, Bridgestone Firestone Venezolana C.A. (BFVZ), to the Corimon Group.

Bridgestone: Planning Expansion at Joliette, Quebec Plant  Link...

Bridgestone Americas is planning a 225 MM$ expansion at is Joliette PC and LT plant to increase capacity by up to 18 percent by 2023.

Bridgestone: Expanding Capacity at Wilson Plant  Link...

Bridgestone Americas plans to expand capacity by up to 10 percent at its Wilson PC tire plant in the next five years.

Bridgestone: Strengthens R&D in Tokyo  Link...

Bridgestone Corporation is strengthening its R&D facilities in Tokyo and relocating some PCR and LTR production from Tokyo to other plants.

Bridgestone: Establishing JV for Auto Part Production in Indonesia  Link...

Tokyo: Bridgestone announced the conclusion of an agreement for the establishment of a joint venture company for the manufacturing of anti-vibration rubber products for automobiles. The agreement was concluded on July 2, 2015, with PT Astra Otoparts Tbk (Astra Otoparts), which manufactures and sells automotive parts in Indonesia. Plans call for the joint venture company to build a manufacturing plant of anti-vibration rubber products for automobiles, which starts operations in January 2016. The total amount of the investment by Bridgestone and Astra Otoparts will be approximately 174.0 billion Indonesian Rupiah (approximately ¥1.6 billion).

Bridgestone: Opens First US Giant Off Road Radial Tire Manufacturing Facility  Link...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 18, 2014) – Extending its leadership in the heavy-duty, earthmoving tire segment, Bridgestone Americas today announced the opening of its first giant off road radial tire plant. Based in Aiken County, South Carolina, the 1.5 million-square-foot manufacturing facility produces various off road radial tire products used to equip heavy haul trucks in mining and aggregates applications.

Bridgestone: Inaugurates New Tire Manufacturing Facility in Vietnam  Link...

Singapore (October 24, 2014) – Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. (BSCAP) today announced that its group company, Bridgestone Tire Manufacturing Vietnam Limited Liability Company (BTMV), held a ceremony to mark the grand opening of its first tire plant in Vietnam.

Bridgestone: Announces Opening of Shenyang, China Plant at New Premises  Link...

Opening ceremony of its Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) Tire plant in Shenyang

Bridgestone: Breaks Ground for New Passenger Car Tire Plant in Russia  Link...

Tokyo (April 2, 2014) - Bridgestone Corporation broke ground at the planned site of a new passenger car radial tire plant in Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. The plant is expected to start production in the first half of 2016. The plant will produce passenger car radial tires such as winter tires for the Russia/CIS market. Production capacity is estimated to reach approximately 12,000 units a day by the second half of 2018.

Bridgestone: Reaches Agreement to Acquire Site for New PC Tire Plant, Turkey  Link...

Bridgestone Corporation - BRISA, Turkey have reached agreement with Aksaray Province Organized Industrial Zone regarding the acquisition of a site for the construction of a new passenger car radial tire plant. The plant is scheduled for operation in January 2018, production is expected to reach 13k tires per day by second half of 2022.

Bridgestone: Sabanci to Evaluate New PC Tire Plant Opportunities in Turkey  Link...

Bridgestone Corporations affiliated company, Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci Laskik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Brisa) is evaluating the future investement of a new PC tire plant in Turkey. Initial investigation will focus on potential sites for the plant.

Bridgestone: Opened Asia Pacific Technical Center  Link...

Bridgestone has opened its Bangkok Asia Pacific Technical Center Co. Ltd., a $42 million project designed to handle development work for the firm's activities throughout Asia-Pacific. The center, operating under the direction of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., will house about 100 employees who will oversee functions relating to tire development, production technology, quality management and procurement.

Bridgestone: Bari Plant Italy Closure  Link...

Bridgestone Corporation will close its passenger tire plant in Bari, Italy by early 2014.