Bridgestone Makes Further Investment in Wilson Plant

Bridgestone has announced that it will ramp up its investment in its plant in Wilson, North Carolina in the United States. The company will be investing USD 344 million in the plant in order to increase its capacity to 35,000 tires in a day.

The Wilson plant specializes in the manufacture of tires for passenger cars and light trucks. The plant will receive a new, state-of-the-art rubber mixer as part of a newly-announced USD180 million investment in addition to the introduction of more innovative manufacturing processes and technologies. In January last year, Bridgestone had announced that it will be investing USD 164 million in expanding the plant.

The company hopes to break ground for the new 50,000 square foot building that will accommodate the new mixer in the spring of 2017, and expects to begin production in autumn 2018. As an outcome of the multi-phase expansion work, the plant will soon be able to meet the growing global demand for higher rim diameter tires, and enhance quality and productivity while reducing costs. The investment will serve to add space in order to accommodate new equipment including tire assembly machines, materials handling systems, curing presses which can increase plant capacity by 3,000 tires on a daily basis. By 2018, the plant will have a daily production of 35,000 tires.

Speaking about the new investment, Wilson plant manager Michael Darr said that it reflects Bridgestone’s global commitment to meeting marketplace demands, increasing capacity and utilizing innovative manufacturing processes. He said that this investment in addition to meeting the needs of customers will also be an investment in the local community and in the company’s team members.”