Name: Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc.  

Address: 10.1 Kyobashi

City: Tokyo, Japan     

CEO:  Shigeo Watanabe

Products: Tires

Year Founded: 1931

            Executives from Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC and Bridgestone Firestone Mexico, S.A. de C.V. joined federal, state and local representatives from the Mexican government to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new tire manufacturing facility in Monterrey, N.L. The new plant, to be operated by a new sister company to BFMX known as Bridgestone Neumáticos de Monterrey, S.A. de C.V., will be the first outside Japan to use BIRD, Bridgestone Corporation’s new tire production system.

            “On behalf of all 50,000 Bridgestone Americas teammates, I am proud that Bridgestone Americas is going to become the newest member of the Monterrey community,” said Mark Emkes, BSAH and BFNT chairman and CEO. “This new plant is an important component of the Bridgestone Group’s global sourcing strategy and is the ideal location to best service our customers. Further, we are excited that this facility will showcase our parent company’s newest tire building technology.”

            “It is with great pride that we welcome Bridgestone, the worldwide leader in tire manufacturing, as a new member of our community,” said José Natividad González Paras, Nuevo León governor. “Due to its high technology production system and the high profile of the generated jobs, this new plant in Ciénega de Flores is an example of the type of projects we are actively seeking and that we will bring here in the future due to the huge advantages that Nuevo León State offers as a foreign investment destination.”

            BIRD, which stands for Bridgestone Innovative and Rational Development, is the world’s first production system for tires that completely automates all stages of tire manufacturing, from the initial processing of materials to final inspection of the finished product.

            In addition to its ability to fully automate the tire production process, BIRD is also capable of producing several different types and sizes of tires simultaneously, allowing for great flexibility and the ability to be responsive to customer needs. The first full production installation of the BIRD system occurred this year at Bridgestone Corporation’s Hikone plant in Japan.

            The Monterrey facility will produce high performance, ultra-high performance and large rim diameter passenger and light truck tires, primarily for the North American tire market. Investment is expected to total approximately $220 million in the new plant, which will have a production capacity of about 8,000 tires per day and employ approximately 200 teammates.

            Once completed, the new facility will be the 49th tire plant in the global Bridgestone Group of companies, and the third such plant located in Mexico. The two existing plants are located in Mexico City and Cuernavaca. The new plant is representative of the Bridgestone Group’s commitment to building a global sourcing network that can respond quickly and flexibly to the continuing growth in world demand for automotive tires. The Bridgestone Group of companies is expanding production capacity around the world to more effectively service this growth in demand and it is committed to building plants as necessary to support its global sourcing strategy and fulfill the needs of its customers.

            Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of the Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSAH and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and associate and private brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies also produce air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber and industrial fibers and textiles and operate the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers.

            Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate and private brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.

            Bridgestone Americas’ corporate family traces its roots to the establishment of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in August 1900. It was then that 31-year-old Harvey S. Firestone (1868-1938) started tire production with 12 employees in Akron, Ohio.

            On the other side of the globe in 1931, Shojiro Ishibashi (1885-1976) created Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd. (later renamed Bridgestone Corporation). He fashioned the company name by reversing the English translation of his own: Ishibashi, which literally means stone bridge in Japanese.

   Bridgestone Corporation purchased Firestone in 1988 for $2.6 billion, transforming the companies’ combined operations into the world’s largest tire and rubber company, and making Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. (BFS) the largest subsidiary of Bridgestone. As part of its integration with Bridgestone’s existing U.S. operations, Bridgestone/Firestone moved its headquarters from Akron to Nashville in 1992.

   Today, Bridgestone Americas heads an international family of enterprises with 38 production facilities and approximately 50,000 teammates throughout the Americas.

            Bridgestone Americas is a leader in world tire and related technologies. The collective entities utilize the tri-polar research and development centers in Tokyo, Akron and Rome to produce advanced tire technologies for products that meet consumers’ needs. It operates world-class proving grounds in Fort Stockton, Texas; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Ciudad Acuna, Coah.

            Tires are the largest part of Bridgestone Americas’ business, accounting for approximately 75 percent of annual revenues. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets tires for almost every kind of vehicle. In fact, the company sells more than 8,000 different types and sizes of tires – from a 13-foot-tall giant radial for earthmoving equipment to a kart tire that stands only 10 inches high.

            BSA is also recognized internationally for producing a variety of quality products, including air springs, building materials, synthetic and natural rubber, and industrial fibers and textiles. All facilities are certified to internationally recognized quality and environmental system requirements, and work every day to continuously enhance their operations, which improves the products they manufacture.