Bridgestone Opens New Education Centre

At the end of May Bridgestone inaugurated its new 3,000 square metre European Education Centre (EUEC) situated within the tyre manufacturer’s European Proving ground at Aprilia near Rome.

BSEU chairman, CEO and president Minekazu Fujimura, unveiled a commemorative plaque at a launch meeting attended by senior managers from around Europe. Mr Minekazu was joined by Shoshi Arakawa, his BSEU predecessor and senior vice president, member of the board responsible for international operations. Mr Arakawa was the originator of the concept behind Bridgestone’s global network of education and training centres.

The new centre’s key roles will include educating, informing and communicating the overall corporate strategy, said Kenichi Takaba, director of field engineering and general manager, sales and technical training services at BSEU. The EUEC will also serve as a venue for R&D meetings, joint discussions with automotive manufacturers and media events to introduce Bridgestone’s latest innovations.

Guests were given a tour of the new premises which includes a replica First Stop dealership store that will be used to teach merchandising and sales techniques. In addition there are First Stop and TruckPoint garages equipped with the latest servicing equipment from all the major manufacturers.

“With the opening of EUEC, Bridgestone now has one of the finest training and education centres dedicated to the tyre and automotive industry anywhere in Europe,” said Steve Howat, BSEU manager, technical and sales training services. ”Its location within the proving ground site gives us a unique ability to offer a complete learning process, from lectures and practical workshops to vehicle diagnosis exercises and on-track testing in a safe environment. These extra dimensions will give our delegates a clearer understanding of how their work impacts on customers, and thus help them to deliver a better service.”