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Bridgestone Sets Record Figures

Japanese tyre manufacturer, Bridgestone, has reported record figures for the first nine months of 2004, the company says. Bridgestone’s third quarter results show that the company produced a turnover of $15.8 billion, while making operating profits of $1.25 billion. The company says that this translates to a net profit of $724 million.

During the first nine months of 2004 Bridgestone recorded a turnover of $2.1 billion in Europe, while the company’s operating profits totalled $140 million. According to company, its US turnover reached $6.8 billion while its operating profit amounted to $235 million in this region. In the manufacturer’s home market of Japan, the company achieved roughly the same turnover but almost three times as much in terms of operating profit – $726 million.

5th November 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Tenneco Embarks on Restructuring Programme

Tenneco Automotive has announced that it will cut up to 250 salaried positions, about six per cent of its workforce. The majority of the job losses will come from the middle and senior management levels and will be cut from the company’s worldwide workforce. Tenneco describes the redundancies as part of its “global restructuring” programme, which also includes plans to reduce the number of strategic business units to six.

2nd November 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

ESC Saves Lives and Money

A report by the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that the use of ESC systems can reduce the risk of fatal crashes by 34 per cent, the risk of single-vehicle fatal crashes by 56 per cent and thereby save thousands of lives a year.

28th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Opens Carbon Black Plant in Thailand

Bridgestone has officially opened a new carbon black plant in Thailand. According to the company, the facility will operate as Bridgestone Carbon Black (Thailand) Co, Ltd, a wholly owned member of the Bridgestone Group.

25th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Exhibits in Italy

Bridgestone has made a momentous move by becoming an exhibitor at the Ferrari Museum. The manufacturer’s tyres, which fit both Ferrari’s sports cars and Formula One tracing teams, are now be on display in the Italian city of Maranello.

The Potenza RE050 Scuderia tyre developed for the Enzo Ferrari will be exhibited at the museum along with one of the very tyres that Michael Schumacher used in the F1 Japan Grand Prix in 2003. The tyres will be on display until 24 August 2007 for some 200,000 people that visit the museum annually.

15th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to Start Steel Cord Production in China

The Asia Times is reporting that Bridgestone Corp has announced that it will begin production of high-carbon steel cord in China next autumn.

7th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone’s F1 Fan Club

Bridgestone is expecting more than a thousand of its employees to turn out and cheer on the Bridgestone equipped cars of Ferrari, Sauber, Jordan and Minardi, when the race at Suzuka next weekend.

Bridgestone Motorsport director, Hiroshi Yasukawa said a home grand prix is a rare chance for Japan-based staff to catch a closer glimpse of Formula One. “We aim to give them a good show,” he told the Home of F1 website. “Suzuka is renowned for being tough on tyres,” said the team’s technical manager Hisao Suganuma, “[but] we know the circuit well.”

5th October 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone ups South African Shareholding

Bridgestone Corporation (Japan) has increased its shareholding in Bridgestone Firestone Maxiprest, its listed South African new tyre distributor and tyre management service provider. The increase will see Bridgestone’s stake rise from 66 to 70 per cent.

It is uncertain whether Bridgestone intends to increase this stake or make an offer to minority shareholders de-list the company. Takashi Wada, the chairman and chief executive of Bridgestone SA Holdings and chairman of Bridgestone Firestone Maxiprest, was unavailable for comment.

Gordon Sinclair, the company secretary at Bridgestone Firestone Maxiprest, commented said that “from his understanding” Bridgestone SA Holdings did not have any intention of increasing its stake in the company.

29th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Make IAA Debut

Yokohama marked its IAA debut by featuring its new HiTES pressure monitoring system as the centrepiece of its stand.

23rd September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama’s Aggressive Advan Brand

Yokohama Rubber is to launch its new ADVAN brand at the Paris Motor Show 2004 (Mondial de l’automobile 2004), which commences on the 25 September.

The company describes the new product as its “symbolic” brand, representing its “global concept.” Yokohama plans to aggressively confront its new business strategy through the new brand, which includes developing flagship tyre products, participating further in motorsports, and co-developing activities with world leading carmakers and tuners. ADVAN is said to represent the company’s spirit of pursuing high performance and high quality products.

The new products will be introduced in markets around the world and sale of the tyres is scheduled to begin in 2005.

First introduced in 1978, ADVAN has been used for motorsports activities and high performance tyres in Japan. Its presentation at the Paris Motor Show will be the first fully-fledged introduction in the European market. Yokohama will exhibit ADVAN Sport and ADVAN S.T, its SUV tyre. The company’s run flat tyre systems, including the Z.P.S. and the Support Ring System will also be displayed at the exhibition.

22nd September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Argentinean Labour Dispute Ends

The intervention of government officials has brought a yearlong labour dispute between Bridgestone/Firestone (BFS) Argentina and its workers to an end.

21st September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to Use New BIRD Production System

Bridgestone Corporation has announced that it will introduce a ‘next-generation’ production system to the company’s Hikone Plant.

14th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama to Debut ADVAN Brand at Paris Motor Show

Paris Motor Show 2004 will provide the venue for the European debut of Yokohama’s ADVAN brand, the company has said.

9th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Solberg Wins Japan’s Inaugural Rally

Subaru’s Petter Solberg has won the inaugural Rally of Japan. By the end of the second leg, Solberg had built up lead of more than a minute over Citreon’s Sebastien Loeb.

6th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Firestone Tyre Recall

Bridgestone Firestone North American is recalling 25,600 of its tyres. The ‘voluntary safety’ recall follows concerns that “a small percentage” of Dueler A/T 693 tyres, size LT285/75R16, load range D, imported into the US from Japan, could suffer belt detachment.

27th August 2004/by Tyrepress Editors