Based in Japan, Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest tyre and rubber company.
Bridgestone America’s retreading operation is suing a van-transport company for trademark infringement, reports indicate. In a suit filed this week in the US District Court for Middle Tennessee, Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions says the newly-designed logo used by Bandago, a California-based company that provides van rentals primarily for touring musical acts, may cause consumer confusion.
Bridgestone is promoting its social network activity through its partnership with the Skrill Conference Premier’s Kidderminster Harriers Football Club. The manufacturer is encouraging supporters to post pictures of themselves en-route to the team’s FA Cup fourth round fixture at Premier League Sunderland’s Stadium of Light via the company’s official Twitter and Facebook social networking channels. […]
Two days ago we reported the launch of Michelin’s Premier A/S at the NAIAS in Detroit; since then, US trade publication Tire Review shared with us a bold claim Michelin has made about its new all-season tyre – that it is better worn than competitors’ tyres are when new.
Commenting on the U.S. International Trade Commission’s extension of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain off-the-road tyres produced in China, the United Steelworkers union says the decision to continue with the 2008-introduced tariffs is a “good outcome to provide job security for the hundreds of tyre workers who make these same tyre products at Titan Bridgestone-Firestone and Goodyear factories in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas and New York.”
BMW UK says the new electric i3 electric “defines the car of tomorrow”, a sizable claim backed up by exclusive tyre supplier Bridgestone, who describes the i3 as representing a “milestone in automotive history”. The tyres designed specifically for fitment on the i3 also required, says Bridgestone, the adoption of an entirely new concept. The answer was something it calls ‘ologic technology’.
Following a recent review of its 80 Expert Tire outlets in the US, Bridgestone Retail Operations closed 15 centres at the end of last year and is rebranding the remainder. Of the 65 outlets still in operation, 63 will become Firestone Complete Auto Care centres and two are being rebranded as Hibdon Tires Plus stores.
Bridgestone has announced an extension of its existing deal with City of London bus fleet Metroline. The tyre supplier will maintain 500 extra vehicles for the company, one of the city’s biggest public transport providers. The buses operate predominantly in the north west of London, from five different locations. Bridgestone describes the extension of its existing two-year deal, which already involves a ‘full maintenance package’ with 1,200 buses, as “a huge coup for the business”.
In February, Bridgestone Corporation will introduce four new motorcycle radials into the global market, the company announced on 18 December. This new line-up includes three lines in the Battlax series and one Battlecross range.
While a durable, high-performing tyre is of utmost importance to a fleet manager’s decision making process, Bridgestone believes that the ‘power of the product’ only goes so far. It says other key factors are increasingly being considered and are proving equally compelling when customers mull over the most suitable manufacturer to opt for. “In many […]
Around US$63 million is to be invested in Bridgestone’s Camaçari tyre plant in Brazil in order to increase capacity for manufacturing passenger car and light truck radials there. Work to expand the factory is expected to be completed in time for a start of increased production in May 2015, and from that date the Camaçari plant will be equipped to deliver an additional 2,100 tyres a day, giving the facility a total production capacity in excess of 10,000 tyres a day. Almost 100 new jobs will be created at the site in Bahia state as a result of the expansion.
In late November, a Bridgestone Australia-sponsored AU$9.5 million (£5.3 million) patient accommodation village designed to support regional blood cancer patients and their families was officially opened in Adelaide’s north-east. The Bridgestone Australia Leukaemia Foundation Village offers free specialised accommodation and support services to patients and their families, mostly those from regional areas who often have to spend months away from home while undergoing treatment.
Hungary’s Ministry of National Economy has designated Bridgestone’s passenger car tyre factory in Tatabanya its “investor of the month” as part of its “Award for Successful Companies” programme. The accolade, one of three given under the programme, is given to corporations whose activities contribute significantly to the Hungarian economy and export growth, increase local employment and who have invested at least €5 million within the region in recent months. Bridgestone was acknowledged for the expansion it is now implementing at its Tatabanya plant.
According to a report from market research and consulting company TechSci Research, three tyre majors account for more than 70 per cent of tyre sales in Thailand. Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear dominate a market that is expected to grow significantly in the next few years and generate revenues up to around US$17 billion by the end of 2018. However the report, titled ‘Thailand Tyre Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2018’, opines that companies such as Yokohama, Sumitomo and Continental tyres are providing these three with “tough competition”.
Bridgestone Corporation has sold its 14.9 per cent share in Sameer Africa Ltd, and the Kenyan tyre maker says it has found a potential strategic investor to replace the Japanese firm as a source of technical assistance and support. To facilitate this new arrangement, the approximately 41.5 million shares Bridgestone held in Sameer Africa have been transferred to Sameer Investments Limited.
Bridgestone has revealed its second generation air-free concept tyre. The manufacturer said the new model features improved load-bearing capabilities, environmental design and driving performance. The tyre is “one step closer to a viable, commercially available air free tyre,” Bridgestone stated.
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