Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Japanese swimmer and Olympic gold medallist Kosuke Hagino has become a ‘Bridgestone Athlete Ambassador’ for a period of five years. The company states that it is “excited to partner with Hagino to share his journey and support him in the continued pursuit of his goals,” and expresses its hope that the swimmer “will successfully embody our corporate values.”
Bridgestone Corporation will act as naming rights sponsor to the World Solar Challenge for another year. The company, which first sponsored the solar race in 2013, considers the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) the “perfect venue to promote research and development ventures geared toward the creation of a sustainable mobility.”
As the largest manufacturer of tyres and rubber products in the world, Bridgestone knows a thing or two about producing quality, technologically innovative goods and services. The company’s flagship VT-Tractor agricultural tyre range, which targets large operations that use advanced, sophisticated and often heavy equipment, is testament to this.
Nine talented young motocross riders have been praised for their natural biking ability by Bridgestone, which is backing their quests for silverware with a season’s supply of tyres. This year the tyre maker is expanding its portfolio of sponsored stars with three further riders: Nadiya Jones, Ray Rowson and, making a return, Jack Timms join Morgan Evans, Rob Yates, James Hanscomb, Harry Linton, Josh Waterman and Charlie Chater. All will compete on Bridgestone Battlecross products.
For over a year, Bridgestone Corporation has worked with partners to develop solutions that both facilitate barrier-free public transportation and protect tyres from sidewall abrasions. The company has reported on its progress towards achieving these goals and shared details of technologies that bring buses closer to the kerbside and also reduce tyre damage and discomfort to passengers should close turn out to be too close.
A restructuring of the marketing team for Bridgestone Europe’s Central Region was implemented at the start of this year, and this has been accompanied by three new appointments. Julia Krönlein is now head of marketing for the region and takes on responsibility for all marketing activities and product management for the consumer business in the German, Austrian and Swiss markets. Long-time Bridgestone employee Stefan Lamp has been appointed product marketing manager for the consumer business, while Christian Blazekovic has been named head of brand and communication for the consumer and commercial business.
Bridgestone South Africa has voiced its support for the legal action undertaken by the Brits Industrialists Association (BIA) against the Local Municipality of Madibeng. The BIA has launched a claim for damages against the municipality on behalf of its members after their electricity supply was unlawfully disconnected. Bridgestone states that its Brits tyre plant was one of the factories affected.
Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone has agreed to buy Ayme Group, the owner of France’s largest independent tyre retail chain – Côté Route.
The 2018 Lexus LS saloon is currently on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and Bridgestone Corporation shares that its Bridgestone Turanza T005 run-flat tyre will serve as a standard fitment for cars equipped with 20-inch rims. The fifth generation of Lexus’ flagship line will receive the Turanza T005 in sizes 245/45RF20 99Y and 275/40RF20 102Y.
The two-wheeler segment dominates India’s vehicle market and is said to be growing at a CAGR of 8.5 per cent. With an estimated 150 million two-wheel vehicles on the country’s roads, demand for replacement tyres is high. Bridgestone Corporation is now competing for a piece of this market with a new brand of motorcycle and scooter tyres, Neurun. The rollout of the Neurun product portfolio began in August 2016 with the introduction of five sizes and nine SKUs, a range that caters to around 70 per cent of market demand in India.
In September Bridgestone announced it is producing bespoke tyres for the classic Jaguar XJ220. The latest news is that “Bridgestone and Don Law XJ220 are well on track”.
Bridgestone has announced an additional investment in its Wilson tyre plant in the USA. The passenger car and light truck tyre making facility in North Carolina will receive a new, state-of-the-art rubber mixer under a newly-announced US$180 million investment that will also facilitate the introduction of more innovative manufacturing processes and technologies. This investment is in addition to the $164 million expansion announced in January 2016.
Bridgestone Corporation’s support of the Olympic Movement has now gone global. On 1 January 2017, the company expanded its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Bridgestone will now serve as a partner globally through to 2024 and be associated with the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic Games 2024, which will take place in either Budapest, Los Angeles or Paris.
At present, Bridgestone Corporation produces new aircraft tyres at two facilities in Japan, and the company has announced plans to build a third plant for manufacturing these products. This plant is one of two that Bridgestone will set up in Thailand; the second will be dedicated to the retreading of aircraft tyres. A total of 15.0 billion yen (£103.8 million) will be invested in the two facilities, and both are scheduled to commence production in December 2019.
Bridgestone Americas has announced that its Firestone FT140 tyre has been selected as original equipment on the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza.
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