Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Aston Martin Lagonda has agreed a trade and investment deal between the United Kingdom and Japan worth up to £500 million over the next five years of its second century business plan. The investment program was announced by Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin president and chief executive officer, during his visit to Japan as part of the UK delegation accompanying British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Bridgestone UK launched its Olympic Games partnership in early 2017 with three new Olympian brand ambassadors. The tyre manufacturer’s marketing campaign to coincide with the sponsorship has the tagline “Chase Your Dream, No Matter What”, and its latest event paired a group of “everyday battlers” with a performance psychologist, a 10 metre diving board, and the UK’s synchronised springboard diving Olympic champion from the Rio 2016 games, Chris Mears. Their experience, captured on camera, can be viewed for the first time below, and on the Bridgestone UK YouTube channel.
Bridgestone shares that it will present its “brand-new, designed and produced in Europe” Turanza T005 touring tyre at next month’s IAA Cars show in Frankfurt, Germany. Announcing the new tyre’s upcoming premiere, Bridgestone says that the Turanza T005 “has been designed to meet European drivers’ need to feel in full control in challenging, daily driving situations, particularly rainy days.”
By all accounts the UK commercial vehicle tyre market remains a tough environment. low cost oversupply has been rife for years. In addition, a number of heavyweight players are using premium products and smart integrated service offers to compete for the largest truck and bus fleets. With this competitive context in mind, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Bridgestone North Europe region commercial sales director Greg Ward and found out more about how the company continues to grow.
In the second quarter of the current financial year, Bridgestone was able to increase its turnover, however its profit figures took a tumble. The tyre maker reports a six per cent rise in net sales to 891 billion yen (£6.3 billion) in the three months to 30 June 2017. Operating profit declined seven per cent to 99 billion yen (£695.7 million), with the operating margin contracting by 1.6 percentage points to 11.1 per cent. Net profit decreased by eight per cent, also to 99 billion yen.
A total of US$304.3 million has been earmarked for the expansion of two Bridgestone tyre factories in India. Over a period of five years, Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd.’s Pune and Indore plants will be upgraded to accommodate the growth of India’s car parc. Production capacity at the two facilities is expected to rise by an estimated 15,000 tyres per day, giving a combined daily capacity of approximately 41,000 tyres by 2022.
Bridgestone says it “swept the podium” at the 40th Coca-Cola Zero Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race. In addition to dominating the podium for the sixth consecutive occasion, each of the first ten racers across the line competed on Bridgestone tyres.
Bandag has brought a trio of new pre-cure treads to market. The first of these is the M-Trailer 001, and in a statement the Bridgestone subsidiary reports this tread was developed with on-/off-road conditions in mind. “Combining robust performance with a high resistance to cuts, chips and punctures, this advanced retread is ideal for use […]
Two of the newest Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) indices developed by investment research firm MSCI recognise Bridgestone Corporation for its commitment to corporate social responsibility. The tyre and rubber products manufacturer features on both the MSCI Japan ESG Select Leaders Index and the MSCI Japan Empowering Women Index (WIN).
Suzuki has a new flagship product for the motocross category. The Japanese manufacturer unveiled the fifth-generation RM-Z450 late last month, and Bridgestone reports the selection of one of its off-highway motorcycle tyre lines as an original equipment fitment. The RM-Z450 will wear the Bridgestone Battlecross X30 in size 80/100-21 51M at the front and 110/90-19 62M on the rear.
From the 19 awards given at the 15th edition of the Volkswagen Group Awards on 28 June, seven VW Group suppliers received a Volkswagen Group Award in the category of Innovation & Technology. This select group included Bridgestone. Matthias Müller, chief executive officer of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, and Dr Francisco Javier Garcia Sanz, Group Board of Management member with responsibility for Procurement, presented the tyre maker’s award to Paolo Ferrari, chief executive officer and president of Bridgestone EMEA.
Success as a tyre wholesaler depends upon range, availability, and also a measure of exclusivity, and this applies as much in the two-wheel segment as it does for car tyres. Britain’s largest independent two-wheel tyre distributor deals in more than a dozen brands, from household names to those little known outside riding circles, and is sole UK distributor for several ranges. Earlier this year, Tyres & Accessories recently spoke with Richard Hemingway Cambrian Tyres to find out what’s new within the wholesaler’s established exclusive stable and from a brand that’s relatively new to Cambrian customers, but nevertheless should prove very interesting.
A launch was held in Shanghai last month for a new truck tyre brand that Bridgestone has developed specifically for the Chinese market. Zonecross is the name these products carry, and the brand is available in a launch portfolio of eight products for both high-speed motorway and short-distance mixed road use. Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd. will bring the new tyres to market in August.
Bridgestone has been honoured with two TyreSafe Awards at 2017 prize giving ceremony. The company collected the Innovation and use of Technology award for its DriveGuard tyre, along with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the end of the night.
DriveGuard was commended for its ability to keep motorists moving after a puncture and removing the immediate burden and unsafe circumstances of a flat tyre. Bridgestone’s comprehensive and holistic approach to road safety throughout the year was then commemorated with the outstanding achievement award minutes later.
The 2017 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge looks set to be the largest in the event’s 30-year history. This year, 50 teams from 26 countries will compete for the Challenger and Cruiser trophies and battle for line honours across the 1,900-mile journey from Darwin to Adelaide, which commences on 8 October. Bridgestone Corporation returns as the principal title sponsor for the biennial event, a partnership that commenced in 2013. Bridgestone Australia will also supply tyres to four local teams competing in the event.
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