Bridgestone looking to increase capacity in South Africa

Bridgestone is considering increasing production capacity at its tyre factories in South Africa in order to gain market share in the country’s minibus taxi segment. It appears to be looking at investing around ZAR 300 million (£16.1 million) in its plants, a capex additional to the ZAR 400 million investment it is currently completing at the company’s main production site in Brits.

South African financial site Moneyweb quotes Jacques Fourie, chief executive officer of Bridgestone South Africa, as saying the tyre maker views the minibus taxi industry as “an opportunity for growth and collaboration.” Bridgestone’s Brits and Port Elizabeth plants currently manufacture some 1.5 million tyres a year, and annual demand from the minibus taxi industry alone is approximately one million tyres.