Bridgestone Australia and Bridgestone New Zealand Join Forces

As of January 1, Bridgestone Australia Ltd. (BSAL) and Bridgestone New Zealand Ltd. (BSNZ) have officially become a single organisation. The joining together means BSAL will be the shareholder of BSNZ. However, Bridgestone reports that the two companies will retain their own identity and maintain their respective Board of Directors.

Shawn Hara, BSAL Group chairman and managing director, said the closer relations between the two companies will allow for greater sharing of knowledge and resources. “This joining of forces will strengthen operations, giving the company a competitive advantage in the market,” commented Hara. “As the Australian and New Zealand markets are similar, the joining of operations provides opportunities to improve our joint product and service delivery to improve customer satisfaction and to increase our market share in both countries.

“This joining together is another demonstration of our continuing commitment to providing the market with the very best products and services,” he added.

The two companies will work together, says Bridgestone, to streamline logistics and operations at both its Salisbury (Australia) tyre manufacturing plant and Christchurch (New Zealand) retreading and retread material production facility. Working as one entity will also allow for joint marketing activities, improved services to trans-Tasman customers and a sharing of technical information.

“We look forward to working closely together to learn from each other and implement more efficient operations throughout 2009,” said the BSAL chairman and managing director. “With BSAL and BSNZ operating as one, we believe there will be tangible benefits for our customers and there is significant potential waiting to be explored and unleashed.”