Opening ceremony for Bridgestone’s 2nd Indian factory

A formal opening ceremony has been held for Bridgestone’s new factory in India. The Pune plant, located 100 miles southwest of Mumbai and operated by subsidiary Bridgestone India Private Ltd., is the tyre maker’s second in India. Production of passenger car radials began in January and capacity is expected to reach 10,000 units per day by the end of 2014. Truck and bus radial production will begin in Pune in October and daily capacity will reach 3,000 units by the second half of 2017. Bridgestone says approximately 50 billion yen (£341 million) has been invested in the 760,000 square metre plant, which as of January employed 500 workers.

At the opening ceremony, Kazuhisa Nishigai, Bridgestone’s COO and Representative Board member, gave the opening speech. Nishigai talked about the outlook for growing the market in India – a market the Pune plant will focus on –and the further expansion of the company’s operations there. He also mentioned that Bridgestone is “pleased that it will be able to offer its customers in India a higher level of service and supply,” and his belief that the new plant would lead to further success for the Bridgestone group in the Indian market.

Bridgestone says it will continue to build on its manufacturing and distribution systems in India so that it can respond more quickly to changes in market demand. It also states it will work to support the growth and development of the local communities where it is present.