Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Tokyo has experienced more than its fair share of misfortune when it comes to hosting the Olympic Games. Confirmation came this week that, for the second time in modern Olympic history, the event wouldn’t take place as scheduled in the Japanese capital. The Games of the XXXII Olympiad are now expected to take place next year.
In 2018, Bridgestone Europe announced that three of its tyre plants in Spain – Bilbao, Puente San Miguel and Burgos – had begun sourcing 100 per cent of their electricity from renewable sources. This programme has been extended to other facilities in the region, and the company shares that the Tatabanya plant in Hungary and Stargard and Poznan plants in Poland will be moving to 100 per cent green electricity.
Bridgestone EMIA will either temporarily close or reduce production plants across its European manufacturing network in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its Béthune plant in France and the Bari plant in Italy will be closed until 6 April.
As major tyre businesses reveal their responses to the coronavirus (Covid-19), Bridgestone reports that the epidemic has not impacted its global personnel or its product supply. In a written statement given on 10 March 2020, a Bridgestone spokesperson told Tyres & Accessories:
Auto Zeitung’s 2020 summer tyre test is one of the largest it has ever published. The German motoring magazine has looked at 20 brands of size 225/50 R17 94/98 W/Y tyres in an evaluation that covers premium to budget. The cheapest of the tyres on test can be had for around 230 euros (£200) a set; the most expensive cost more than twice as much. As you’d expect, the winners’ podium was dominated by premium products priced well above the average. The fourth-placed tyre is a different story.
Bridgestone has promoted Daniel Giroud to chief sales officer (CSO), Bridgestone EMIA, after Riccardo Cichi leaves the role on 16 March after three years in the position. Giroud is currently VP retail operations, Bridgestone EMIA, and CEO and president of First Stop Europe. Cichi is joining Bridgestone North America as CSO after three years in EMIA.
Goodyear has launched the EfficientGrip Performance 2. According to the company, the new tyre can achieve 50 per cent higher mileage than its predecessor and 20 per cent better mileage than Michelin. The claims are based on tests conducted by TÜV SÜD, which also found that the EfficientGrip Performance 2 had the shortest braking distances on wet and dry roads compared to leading competitors.
Four tyre plants in Japan and the Americas are amongst seven Bridgestone Corporation facilities to receive Caterpillar Inc.’s highest Supplier Quality Excellence Process (SQEP) rating. The manufacturer of construction and mining equipment has awarded Platinum Level certification to Bridgestone’s Hofu and Shimonoseki (Japan), Des Moines (USA) and Santo André (Brazil) plants.
Bridgestone claims its Turanza T005 is reinventing the wheel after the tyre received critical acclaim in the year or so since it’s launch.
In 2018, the world’s number largest tyre and rubber company introduced its Turanza T005 touring tyre to the market, delivering wet performance and fuel economy, combined with high mileage, to give drivers full control in challenging daily situations.
Kevin Nicks, Guinness world record holder and creator of the world’s fastest Shed, has partnered with First Stop. Amongst other things the partnership involves the placing a First Stop hoarding on the front of the Shed.
Almost 18 months ago, Bridgestone announced it would invest at least 160 million euros in its passenger car tyre plant in Poznań, Poland. A stage in this factory expansion project began on 20 January with the laying of a foundation stone for additional production buildings.
We can expect a flurry of business card printing and updates to LinkedIn profiles at Bridgestone in the near future following the announcement of several key appointments in the Americas and Asia Pacific regions. These latest executive management changes follow those announced in December 2019.
Bridgestone says it is “sowing the seeds for a busy season of sales amongst farmers and contractors, following what it describes as its “best ever” showing at LAMMA. Agriculture sales manager Stephen Lamb and his team presented the features of the manufacturer’s premium VT-Tractor range. With spring drilling planned for the coming weeks and months, and the UK’s wet weather causing headaches, the VT range offsets the worst that these elements can throw at farmers as it can operate at lower inflation pressures. With much larger footprints, the wettest and boggiest of land is still protected as a result.
Prisoners at HM Prison Featherstone are being given truck tyre training in an attempt to address the skills shortage in the truck tyre industry and “instil pride into prisoners’ lives”. Bridgestone has partnered with the prison to offer a hat-trick of commercial tyre training qualifications.
Bridgestone reports that it yesterday completed the cancellation of Treasury Stock pursuant to Article 178 of the Companies Act, a measure decided upon at a meeting of its Board of Directors on 15 February 2019. A total of 47,838,200 common shares have been cancelled, 6.8 per cent of issued shares.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.