(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) announced that its Bridgestone brand Dueler H/T 840 tyres will be original equipment on the 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser SUV. BFNAT will supply the tyres in size P265/70R17 113S. That size carries a UTQG rating of 300/B/B, according to BFNAT.
(Akron/Tire Review) Michelin North America (MNA) and Continental Tire North America (CTNA) are the latest tyremakers to issue technical bulletins to dealers calling for the replacement of tyres 10 years or older.
The United Steel Workers (USW) has angrily denounced the management of Bridgestone Firestone’s LaVergne, Tennessee plant for preventing members from collecting cash to help workers in Liberia. The USW said Liberian workers were struggling to provide for their families and accused the manufacturer of “human rights violations.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) has extended its sponsorship of the famed Bigfoot monster truck team through 2010. BFNAT began its sponsorship of Bigfoot in 1991, and the multi-vehicle team uses specially prepared Firestone tyres.
Bridgestone Corp’s full-year 2005 figures show that the company’s net profit surged 58 per cent last year to 180.7 billion yen (£877 million, 1.283 billion euros). In the 12 months ended 31 December annual sales rose 11 per cent to 2.69 trillion yen (£13.072 billion, 19.123 billion euros). The majority of the corporation’s turnover came from its tyre business, which contributed 2.156 trillion yen (£10.474 billion, 15.311 billion euros) a 12 per cent increase on the 1.931 trillion it generated in 2004.
Despite earlier reports that workers had gone back to work, one week into the strike company officials told Tyres & Accessories that while the industrial action “could end tomorrow, it could also go on for weeks.” In an interview with T&A, Bridgestone Americas’ Dan MacDonald and Gert Meylemans (Bridgestone Europe) explained that the ongoing strike might mean there is disruption, but it also unlikely to have any long term or direct effects on prices.
Despite the plantation’s size (118,000 acres) the company representatives downplayed the effect the strike would have on the tyre market. “The majority of what is harvested is not block rubber, but liquid latex,” Dan MacDonald told Tyres & Accessories. Instead the Liberian plantation’s output is only said to make up 14 per cent of Bridgestone Americas’ and 1.2 per cent of the company’s worldwide demand. For now there is said to be significant quantities of the necessary raw materials in reserve. And the executives pointed out that the company ran other large plantations in places like Indonesia. Reserves and alternative sites aside, 5,800 striking workers is not good for any company.
(Akron/Tire Review) Four Bridgestone-brand tyres were named to Consumers Digest magazine’s list of tire “best buys,” which appears in the publication’s February issue. Earning the designation were the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H in the touring tire category; Bridgestone Potenza G009 in the performance tire category; Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza in the light truck/SUV all-purpose tire category; and the Bridgestone Dueler H/P in the sport tyre category.
Vintage Tyres, has announced that from March the company intends to expand its delivery service and offer free delivery on all their products to any UK mainland destination. “Free delivery is the final stage in keeping with our total customer support ideals, orders taken before 3pm will be despatched on the same day and should arrive within 48 hours,” said managing director, Chris Marchant.
The strike action at Bridgestone Corp’s Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia has reportedly come to an end. The news has yet to be confirmed, but workers are said to have returned to work after government officials spoke to them. “The strike was provisionally called off. The workers have agreed to resume work after my intervention along with some other officials,” the Minister of Labour-designate told FrontPageAfrica.
(Akron/Tire Review) As it has in recent years, Bridgestone Americas Holding (BAH) is sponsoring the media center at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show, 10 – 19 February, and is using the event to showcase new technology and products. BAH plans appearances by Mario Andretti and 2005 Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon, and will display the 1911 Marmom Wasp that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the very first Indy 500.
(Akron/Tire Review) News reports out of Monrovia, Liberia, say that some 3,000 workers at Bridgestone Corp’s natural rubber plantation there have gone on strike.
“The strike is very serious. Production has come to a complete halt,” a public relations spokesman with Firestone Plantation Co. told Reuters. “We have asked the government to intervene. We do not know why this is going on.”
(Akron/Tire Review) Ford Motor Co. has been ordered to pay a rollover accident victim $29 million. The case involved a 22-year-old Texas woman who was left partially paralyzed when a Firestone ATX on her 1999 Mazda Navajo failed and the vehicle rolled over.
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is to start two new promotions within the commercial truck & bus group. Kurt Danielson, currently director, commercial marketing, has accepted a new assignment as executive director, commercial marketing for the US and Canadian markets effective 1 January. Kurt is responsible for the marketing of all truck and bus tyre brands, which includes the Bridgestone, Firestone and Dayton lines in both the US and Canada. In addition, Kurt is also responsible for product planning, supply/inventory planning and Oncor retreading.
(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) launched a new consumer tyre sales effort that gives buyers 30 days to decide if they want to keep their recently purchased Bridgestone, Firestone or Dayton brand tyres. “Buy & Try 30-Day Guarantee” starts 1 February, and “puts consumers in the driver’s seat,” said Phil Pacsi, BFNAT’s executive director of consumer tyre brand marketing. “If after 30 days or less the consumer is not satisfied with the performance of our tyres we will refund their money.”
Tanvic Tyres, an Agri Point dealer covering parts of the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, has announced a new free service available to farmers, within its catchment area. Firestone’s objective is to have all Agri Point dealers running similar programmes shortly, Firestone agricultural marketing manager, Barry Coleman said.
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