Bridgestone Gets Record OEM Fitments in 2018

Bridgestone has announced that it has received a record number of OEM fitments in 2018, an increase of over 30 per cent in EMEA. The tire manufacturer was chosen to provide over 120 new original equipment fitments in EMEA, and these were for over 40 different models from 15 different manufacturers.

Commenting on the achievement, Mete Ekin, Regional Managing Director of Bridgestone Middle East and Africa said that the company’s biggest strength lies in the partnerships it has created within the automotive industry, and it makes an effort to come up with bespoke tires to meet the unique needs of each of its partners. Innovation is the key focus and the company endeavors to create more best-in-class products and solutions which can boost performance and safety.
Bridgestone’s has made tremendous strides in Research & Development and this accounts for its success with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The number of OE fitments attests to the quality and innovation of the Bridgestone premium tire range with car makers like Toyota, Mercedes and Porsche opting for Bridgestone tires. Bridgestone also continues to serve as the primary supplier for Audi, SEAT, Skoda and remains as a strategic partner of the Volkswagen Group.

Mark Tejedor, Vice President of Original Equipment at Bridgestone EMEA said in an industry that is undergoing rapid transformation, and where vehicles are becoming more and more CASE – connected, autonomous, shared and electric – Bridgestone focuses on the delivery of new solutions and technologies that can meet even the toughest challenges that car manufacturer can pose. The tires that the company is currently working on developing are meant to meet the needs for the next two to five years and even beyond.

“It’s enabled us to take a step in a new direction that leads decisively into the future. We are creating new tyres as well as mobility solutions and services that are more efficient and better adapted to vehicles and new automotive developments than ever before. By doing this, we will keep drivers going, no matter what.”

Bridgestone’s fitments for Audi models have doubled over the last five years. Bridgestone is also onboard as a key partner for BMW through a wide range of Bridgestone fitments as original equipment for the BMW 3-Series, the BMW 7-Series, BMW X5/X7 and BMW Z4.

Many vehicle manufacturers have chosen Bridgestone tires for their original equipment fitments for a wide variety of models. They include electrified models like the BMW i3s, Toyota Corolla, the new Audi Q3, the universal Audi A6 Allroad, tourers like the Opel Insignia, the innovative BMW 8-series, as well as the luxury Porsche Cayenne and sports cars like the Ferrari Portofino and the Renault Mégane R.S. and R.S. Trophy. Over 85 per cent of the fitments are now for tires with a diameter of 17” or greater.

Going the extra mile
When it comes to working with automotive manufacturers for OEM fitments, Bridgestone goes the extra mile. The company uses creativity and imagination to accommodate their requests. The tires are fine-tuned to specific vehicle designs to ensure every element of performance. Thus, the Bridgestone tires which are used for OEM fitments can meet all sorts of challenges with the incorporation of appropriate technologies. These range from lower rolling resistance and fuel consumption, to noise reduction, driver comfort and drive behavior.

Some of the revolutionary new technologies that Bridgestone has developed include those like B-Silent, ologic and the improved Run-Flat Technology. Every single component of Bridgestone tires is engineered to respond to the requirement of the OEMs. Cutting-edge tire design technologies like low-wear Nano Pro tech, highly dispersible Silica compounds and newly designed patterns, cavity shapes and optimized skin depth as well as innovative mixing processes, make it possible for Bridgestone to find the best balance between the tires’ characteristics and the vehicle’s setup.