Bridgestone To Build Tech Centre Alongside Wuxi Plant

Bridgestone Corp has announced that it plans to build a technical centre beside its existing tyre plant in Wuxi in Jiangsu Province. The US$14 million facility, Bridgestone (China) Research & Development Co, will be responsible for testing raw materials supplied to the company’s Chinese tyre factories, according to a statement issued by the Japanese manufacturer.

The centre is expected to go into operation next July with some 20 employees and will be Bridgestone’s fourth technical centre worldwide in addition to facilities in Tokyo, Rome and Akron in the US state of Ohio.

Tyres for passenger cars are manufactured in Wuxi and Tianjin in Hebei Province, and truck and bus tires are made in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. The company is also building a fourth tyre plant in Huizhou in Guangdong Province.

“Bridgestone will create a consistent system from development to production and sales to enable quick response to the diverse needs of the Chinese market,” the company said.

Last month, the company said it would add 750 outlets in China by 2010, bringing the total to 5,600, Shanghai Daily reported. Rivals, including Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co and France-based Michelin also said they plan to raise the number of branded retail stores by the end of the year.