Bridgestone Americas Officially Opens New Manufacturing Facility

November 7 marks the official grand opening of the first tyre manufacturing facility outside of Japan to utilise Bridgestone’s “BIRD” technology. National, state and regional officials from the Republic of Mexico will join representatives from Bridgestone Corporation, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire and Bridgestone Neumáticos de Monterrey (BSMR) at the company’s new plant in Monterrey, in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, to commemorate the occasion.

With a production capacity of about 8,000 tyres a day, the Monterrey plant has generated more than US$200 million in investment to date. As previously mentioned, the facility employs Bridgestone’s new BIRD tyre production system, which stands for “Bridgestone Innovative and Rational Development.” According to Bridgestone, BIRD is the world’s first production system for tyres that completely automates all stages of tyre manufacturing, from the initial processing of materials to final inspection of the finished product. Additionally, the manufacturer reports that the BIRD system allows for greater flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs because of its capacity to make several different types and sizes of tyre simultaneously.
“We at Bridgestone Americas are very proud of this new venture,” said Mark A. Emkes, BSAH and BFNT chairman and CEO. “Opening this plant in Monterrey, an ideal location to serve our customers, is an important component of the Bridgestone group’s global sourcing strategy to meet the needs of our customers now and in the future.”

Governor of the state of Nuevo Leon, José Natividad González Parás, said he is pleased with the Bridgestone family’s expansion into Monterrey. “The Monterrey community is delighted to host this new member of the Bridgestone global group in this capacity,” Parás said. “This partnership is a testament to our region’s high quality workforce, which is helping Nuevo Leon State become a thriving investment destination. With the creation of more than 200 jobs and [the] possibility that other companies may want to be near this new facility, the benefits of the new plant will be ongoing.”

The Monterrey facility, 47th tyre manufacturing plant of the global Bridgestone Group, is the third to be built in Mexico; the other two are located in Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Monterrey will primarily serve the North American tyre market, producing high performance, ultra high performance, and large rim diameter passenger and light truck tyres. The Bridgestone Group has used the opening of the Monterrey plant as an occasion to restate its commitment to building a global sourcing network that can respond quickly and flexibly to the continuing growth in world demand for automotive tyres, and added that, as part of this plan, the group is currently constructing three additional plants; one each in Hungary, Poland and Japan.

“This marks a special day for the Bridgestone family of companies,” said BSMR President Yuichi Nakada. “Our efforts in Monterrey represent our growing production capacity and further demonstrate our commitment to fulfilling the needs of our customers worldwide. We look forward to being a part of the Monterrey community for years to come.”