Bridgestone contemplates second Turkish plant

Brisa Bridgestone Sabancı Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (Brisa), the joint venture company run by Bridgestone Corporation and Turkey’s Sabancı Holding, is evaluating potential sites within the country for a second factory. Brisa intends to construct a passenger car radial factory to complement the company’s existing passenger car, bus and truck radial plant in İzmit, which entered volume production in 1990.

Demand for tyres, says Bridgestone, is expected to grow within Turkey in future. Furthermore, Turkish GDP is growing at a high rate – it expanded 2.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter of 2013 – and has a demographic composition (80 million inhabitants/average age of 29.2 years) that favours continued growth. 

Brisa was established in 1988 and trades under the Bridgestone, Lassa, Bandag, Firestone (agricultural segment), OtoPratik, Lastiğim and lastik.com.tr brands. The company reports that its annual net profit has trebled and annual sales doubled sales since 2008, and in this time it has also increased production six per cent and its workforce by 20 per cent. Approximately US$800 million has been invested in Brisa since its establishment 25 years ago.