Bridgestone Holds Topping Off Ceremony for US Technical Centre

After nine months of construction, on November 18 the final steel beam was hoisted into place on the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (BATO) state-of-the-art Technical Center in Akron, Ohio in a small topping off ceremony. This final beam to be manoeuvered into place bore the signatures of many employees at the current technical centre, many of whom watched its installation via web conference. The beam is situated at the highest point of the US$100 million dollar facility.

“This progressive building is made of stone and steel, but it’s the people inside that make Bridgestone Americas a world-class company,” said Bob Handlos, vice president of Research for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “The signatures of our teammates on this final beam will be a lasting legacy to their hard work and dedication that has helped our company grow to be the largest and one of the most respected tyre and rubber companies in the world.”

“If we are to design and build world-class products we need a world-class technical centre. That’s what we will have here in Akron,” commented Steve Shelton, vice president of Product Development at Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “There’s a strong tradition of innovation here in Akron, so it’s fitting that this new technology centre is being built right here. This is where our company was founded more than a century ago. And this is exactly where our North American technology centre belongs.”

The new technical centre is on schedule to open its doors in early 2012. To view a time lapse video of the building’s construction from groundbreaking to topping off, visit http://oxblue.com/pro/open/bridgestone/technicalcenter.