Bridgestone will invest $36.6 million in its Warren
County, Tenn. plant to increase production capacity by
an additional 900 truck and bus tires per day.
The expansion is expected to be complete in the first
quarter of 2013 and is projected to create 50 new
jobs.
The investment is part of a comprehensive expansion of
the tire maker’s American manufacturing
operations.
To meet the growing global demand for off-road radial
tires, the company is also going to build a new off-road
radial plant in Aiken County, S.C. It also announced a
substantial increase in production capacity at its
existing Aiken passenger car and light truck tire
plant.
These projects, combined with the new investments in the
Warren plant, amount to an investment of more than $1.2
billion. Some 900-plus new jobs are expected to result
within the next nine years.
In addition, Bridgestone’s Metalpha plant in
Clarksville, Tenn. will begin producing the off-road
radial steel cord needed for the tires to be made at the
new Aiken facility. The associated $75 million
investment will expand the factory’s size by 123,077
square feet and create an additional 45 jobs.
“With increasing demand in the market, it was time for
us to increase capacity to meet the needs of customers
seeking world-class Bridgestone and Firestone truck and
bus tires,” says Kurt Danielson, a divisional
president.
“The outstanding people and facilities at our Warren
County plant, as well as the long-standing partnership
we have with the Warren County community and the state
of Tennessee, made it the perfect location to make this
investment and expand our production,” he notes.
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“I want to thank Bridgestone Americas for their
continued reinvestment in Warren County and Tennessee,”
says Gov. Bill Haslam. “Our Jobs4TN strategy focuses on
expanding existing businesses in-state, and Bridgestone
Americas is providing jobs while also demonstrating a
commitment to improving the quality of the community
itself,” he adds.
Site preparation and construction in Warren will begin
in the second quarter of 2012. Construction is expected
to be complete by the third quarter, and the
manufacturing equipment will begin to be installed in
the latter portion of the year.
The additional production is expected to begin in early
2013, reaching full production in the fourth
quarter.
“This major expansion in Warren County and the creation
of new high-quality jobs underscores the success we are
enjoying with the governor’s emphasis on growing
existing Tennessee businesses. I congratulate
Bridgestone on expanding its footprint as a flagship
Tennessee company,” says Bill Hagerty, commissioner of
the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community
Development. “I have enjoyed the close working
relationship with Bridgestone CEO and President Gary
Garfield and the entire Bridgestone team and look
forward to celebrating many more successes in the
future.”
The Warren facility, which began operations in 1990,
earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) Silver Certification from the U.S. Green
Building Council in 2008, becoming the first tire plant
in the world to do so. LEED is awarded internationally
to buildings for excellent energy and water efficiency,
indoor environmental quality and resource stewardship.
It is rarely achieved by existing manufacturing
sites.
The Warren and Aiken locations are the first two – and
so far only – LEED-certified tire plants in the
world.
For more information, visit www.bridgestone-
firestone.com.
