Bridgestone adds India to EMEA region

From 1 January 2020, Bridgestone’s India business will fall into the EMEA Strategic Business Unit (SBU), transferring from the China, Asia-Pacific SBU. As a result, Bridgestone Europe, Russia, Middle East and Africa (BSEMEA) will become Bridgestone Europe, Russia, Middle East, India and Africa (BSEMIA), one of four SBUs globally, alongside Bridgestone China, Asia-Pacific, Bridgestone Americas, and Bridgestone Japan. According to the company, the integration of Bridgestone India into EMEA comes as a result of Bridgestone EMEA’s “ongoing transformation capitalising on the opportunities digitalisation offers to pioneer mobility solutions that meet the needs of customers for convenience, efficiency and sustainability”.

Bridgestone representative report that the rapid expansion of the Indian automotive and tyre market provides “great opportunity in the retail, internet sales, original equipment aftersales, and, in particular, fleets spaces – opportunities that can be better realised when paired with Bridgestone EMEA’s experience and expertise”. Likewise, Bridgestone EMEA’s digital transformation is expected to be accelerated by India’s tech skills and IT know-how.

Bridgestone EMEA CEO and President, Paolo Ferrari commented: “India is a market with huge potential – potential that is definitely being met. Bridgestone India is only 20 years old, in that time we’ve seen growth in the country build and build to make it a cornerstone market; today we’re the largest premium tyre producer in the country, employing over 3,200 people.”

“There are huge learnings that Bridgestone India can pass on to what is now Bridgestone EMEA, and vice versa; we feel very fortunate that so much knowledge can be shared within our global business to meet ever-evolving customer and market needs. Under the new banner of Bridgestone EMIA, we’re committed to working with India to make Bridgestone a leading mobility solutions provider across all three continents our business unit operates in.”

Parag Satpute will continue to lead Bridgestone India as managing director. This change also means that Bridgestone India will join the recently announced Bridgestone Emerging Markets division, alongside the company’s businesses in Africa, the Middle East, and Russia.