Bridgestone expanding OTR tyre production at US plant
The sizes to be produced in the Bloomington factory are currently only made by Bridgestone in Japan
Bridgestone Americas has announced a US$12 million investment that will expand production to include popular off-the-road (OTR) tyre sizes at its Bloomington, Illinois facility. The plant will produce multiple sizes and patterns in 29-, 33- and 35-inch OTR tyres, which until now have only been produced by Bridgestone in Japan.
“As an industry leader, Bridgestone is committed to meet the evolving needs of our customers in the OTR segment,” said Bridget Neal, president, off-the-road tyres, Bridgestone Americas. “The addition of the three tyre sizes to the Bloomington production line combined with our Aiken County, South Caroline off-road tyre plant, allows us to support North American customers with regional supply of our key products.”
With this investment, the workforce at the Bloomington plant will grow by 30. The last major investment in Bloomington was $48 million for a radial and giant loader expansion in 2011 and 2014.
“This investment is about increasing our flexibility to produce high-quality radial or bias tyres – whatever our customers demand,” said Monty Greutman, Bloomington plant manager. “It will allow us to deliver on our global commitment to develop innovative new products that will meet our customers’ needs, but it wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding teammates we have here today – some of whom have worked here for decades.”
The Bloomington factory is owned and operated by Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and produces OTR tyres for mining and construction applications.
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