Bridgestone Archives - Page 219 of 275 - Tyrepress

Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.

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Goodyear Says It Wants BFS-Union Deal Done First

(Akron/Tire Review) In an interesting twist to the current round of master contract talks, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has told the United Steelworkers that it wants the union to reach a deal with Bridgestone/Firestone before it will continue negotiations. It was expected that talks between Goodyear and the USW were further along than those between the union and Bridgestone/Firestone, and that the union’s talks with Bridgestone/Firestone would be more difficult.

12th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Considering Russia Factory

Japan Bridgestone Corp is considering building a new tyre factory in Russia, where car production is up almost 10 per cent in the first half of 2006. Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported that Bridgestone has reserved a 10 hectare plot of land near the new Nissan factory in St. Petersburg, which could cost the Japanese company around $30 million.

11th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Schumacher Wins 90th Grand Prix, Announces Retirement

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher will retire from F1 at the end of the season. The announcement follows Schumacher’s first place in the Italian Grand Prix, a result that reduces his title deficit (behind Renault’s Fernando Alonso) to just two points. The Ferrari (Bridgestone) driver’s victory was the 90th in a career in which Schumacher has broken almost every F1 record.

But he has also been a controversial champion. “Where Schumacher cannot draw the right line is on track. He cannot see when he crosses the line between tough but fair, and ruthless but foul. That is exacerbated by his total belief that he cannot be wrong. He has a default mode in the car: if you’re going to pass him, he will drive you off the road. He even did it to me as a team-mate,” former Benetton team-mate, Martin Brundle commented.

11th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Kovalainen and Fisichella to Drive for Renault in 2007

Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen (24) will race for Formula One champions Renault in 2007 while Flavio Briatore has signed up as team boss for two more years. Kovalainen will partner Italian Giancarlo Fisichella after world champion Fernando Alonso moves to McLaren.

7th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

BFNAT Buys Virginia Dealer

(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire confirmed that it had purchased White Tire, based in Virginia. White Tire has six retail stores, 11 commercial centres and six retread shops, and serves customers in Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Under BFNAT’s ownership, White Tire LLC will be a subsidiary operation.

7th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

BFNAT to Get New Tech Director, Hara Gets Key OE Position

(Akron/Tire Review) Hideo “Hank” Hara, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s executive vice president of tyre development and technology, will be returning to parent company Bridgestone Corp. in October to become vice president and officer of OE tyre sales and motorsports. Replacing Hara at BFNAT will be Yutaka Yamaguchi, currently director of tyre development at Bridgestone. Yamaguchi will also assume Hara’s spot on the boards of directors of both BFNAT and Bridgestone America Holding.

6th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone, 13 Others Named in Superdome Roof Suit

(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Americas Holding and some 13 other firms have been sued in connection to damages to the Louisiana Superdome caused last year by Hurricane Katrina. BAH was one of the companies that recommended, supplied and/or installed the roof on the Superdome, which failed during the catastrophic storm. Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District filed the suit along with the state of Louisiana, insurers for the New Orleans Saints, and SMG, which manages the facility. In the U.S. District Court suit, the parties claim the roofing, which was replaced in 2002, was touted as being able to withstand 200 mph winds. During Hurricane Katrina, however, large portions of the roof blew away, allowing heavy rains to enter the dome. BAH countered that the force of the hurricane, not faulty installation or materials, caused the roof damage. BAH claims its warranty excludes “acts of God,” including damage caused by winds exceeding 55 mph.

6th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Raising Awareness of Road Safety

Bridgestone is stepping up efforts to build support for the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) Foundation’s “Make Roads Safe” campaign, creating public attention and collecting petitions at F1 Grand Prix races and other events. The aim is to keep up the pressure on politicians and get road safety onto the G8 and UN agendas in 2007.

5th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to Release Wireless TMPS System

According to FCC records, Bridgestone is close to releasing a wireless tyre pressure monitoring system. The system uses sensors embedded just under the tyre rim to sense tyre pressure and temperature to a handheld device. A 1.5 second alarm is sounded if the pressure is too high or too low.

1st September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Retired Employees Protest at Goodyear and Bridgestone

The Akron Beacon Journal has reported that nearly 200 retired unionised workers have protested outside Goodyear’s corporate headquarters and later in front of Bridgestone Firestone’s Akron Technical Center to protest what they said are the tyremakers’ proposals to reduce retiree benefits. The protests, were aimed at pressuring Goodyear and Bridgestone in contract negotiations with the United Steelworkers of America. The union and two tyremakers are working under day-to-day extensions of contracts that expired in July. Negotiations started in June.

31st August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Successfully Protects Trademark Rights in China

Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd. has successfully filed a trademark infringement complaint to the Guilin Industrial & Commercial Administration Bureau. The complaint, which was wholly upheld, was against Guilin Car Wings Car Accessory Co., Ltd for closely resembling the appearance of “car wing” outlets run by Bridgestone Corporation’s Chinese subsidiary.

31st August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Del Balzo Aids Marangoni Development

UK TV viewers of BBC’s Top Gear motoring programme will be familiar with the character called “The Stig” – an anonymous driver who regularly puts cars through their paces by driving them at the limit. Italian tyre manufacturer Marangoni has its own version of the Stig who, according to the company, has the task of assisting the Marangoni research and development team in testing and analysing each product’s ‘intelligence’, on track and road. The information gained is used to ensure performance, comfort and safety are optimised for everyday drivers. The main difference is that the identity of Marangoni’s ‘Stig’ is not shrouded in mystery – he is in fact former F3 driver and European GT Champion, Cristiano del Balzo – the current Director of the Italian equivalent of the MSA, the CSAI Velocità.

29th August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Felipe Massa Takes First Grand Prix Win In Turkey

Brazilian Felipe Massa withstood the heat of the Turkish Grand Prix, capitalising on his first F1 pole position by taking the chequered flag. However, Massa’s Bridgestone-equipped Ferrari was upstaged by fierce fighting for second place between defending champion, Renault’s Fernando Alonso (Michelin), and Michael Schumacher in the closing stages of the race. Despite driving a consistent race, Honda’s Jenson Button finished fourth. The result puts Alonso 12 points clear at the top of the drivers’ championship.

28th August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Time for Tee

Golf enthusiasts at Bridgestone UK say they will have one eye on the lush fairways of Ohio this week when leading global stars contest the World Golf Championships. A strong field at the Bridgestone Invitational event, which tees off at the Firestone Country Club in Akron on Thursday (24 August), includes Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald and Paul Casey. As well as striving to emulate last year’s winner Tiger Woods, many of the American and European participants will also be looking to score valuable ranking points for a starting place in next month’s Ryder Cup.

23rd August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Study: Women Worst for Tyre Maintenance

More than three quarters of the UK’s women drivers believe that they are driving around safely, when in fact they are dangerously unaware that they are putting their lives and the lives of their passengers at risk. According to a new survey, more than 82 per cent of women motorists believe they have never driven on a tyre which is even slightly unsafe, but less than a quarter of those questioned know what the legal minimum tread depth of their tyres actually is.

22nd August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors