Bridgestone Opens Guangzhou Urethane Foam Plant

Bridgestone Corporation has officially opened a plant that produces urethane foam for automobile seats in China. The operator of the plant is Guangzhou Bridgestone Chemical Products Co., Ltd., a joint venture company for the manufacture and sale of urethane foam for automobile seats located in Guangzhou City. Bridgestone set this facility up together with the automotive components arm of Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co, Ltd on 5 July 2004.

About 130 people were on hand for the opening ceremony, including Chinese government and municipal officials. Heading the Bridgestone contingent were Osamu Mori, a member of the board in charge of electro-materials and chemical products, Li Qu Ming, chairman of the venture company, and various other plant officials.

“The automobile industry in the Guangzhou region is expanding fast and we expect development to continue going forward,” explained Mori in his address at the opening ceremony. “I sincerely hope that Bridgestone will make a significant contribution to the advancement of Guangzhou and indeed to the automobile industry in China as a whole.”

Production commenced at the plant in August this year to meet an expected increase in demand in the Chinese market.

Bridgestone Group now has more than 10 production sites in China. Locally manufactured products supplied to the Chinese market cover a wide spectrum. Bridgestone produces tyres at plants in Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuxi, and Huizhou (currently under construction). It also operates plants for anti-vibration automotive components in Changzhou; for rubber fenders and crawlers in Wuxi; for bicycles in Changzhou; for golf balls in Shenzhen; for industrial-use urethane foam in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou; and for high-pressure rubber hose assemblies in Changzhou.