Bridgestone invests ~£5 million in Bulldog Bandag plant and refreshed retread range

Bridgestone is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of its Bulldog retread factory in Bourne, Lincolnshire with a multi-million-pound investment designed to “mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the site’s history”. Specifically, executives said the investment equates to “close to £5 million”.

New buffers, builders and curing pressures have been purchased in order to increase output of the new ‘Bandag Hotread’ range, which initially features 17 new products. Eight of these products are now on the market, mirroring Bridgestone’s flagship product range, with the rest of the Bandag Hotread portfolio to be introduced over the course of the year.

The investment offers significant environmental and sustainable benefits, with retread tyres offering economical value for commercial fleets along with a massive reduction in the use of raw materials.

Andrea Manenti, Bridgestone’s North Region Vice President, said: “Now has never been a better time to invest in our Bourne factory, which has been raising the bar for the rest of Europe for many, many years. Bridgestone has a proud history in the retread tyre sector and we are now investing to ensure we enhance our status as a market leader, synonymous with premium quality.”

The investment will allow Bridgestone to ramp up production of hot-cure retreads, a more which is designed to grow market share accordingly. With the extension of its hot retreading portfolio, Bridgestone reports that it is responding to market demand and offering its fleet customers an extended range of premium retreading solutions. The company will continue to offer precure (cold) retreads in addition, allowing fleets to select the right tyre for their application and wheel position.

The Bulldog operation was founded in 1974 as part of the Sleaford Tyre Company Group and first supplied retreads to Bridgestone in the mid-1990s, before Bridgestone purchased it outright in 2005.

In 2022 alone, Bridgestone’s Bulldog Factory recycled 520 tonnes rubber dust and 4,400 tonnes’ worth of scrap tyres. This equated to savings of 4 million litres of oil, 2,000 tonnes rubber and 900 tonnes of steel and close to 4000 tonnes of saved CO2 emissions versus equivalent production of new tyres.

Andrea Manenti added: “There has been continued development of retread production equipment over the last decade, with especially an increased focus on automation. A big focus has been on making retreads more efficiently, using less manpower and reduced energy consumption.

“Increased development and usage of inspection processes such as Shearography, Nail-hole Detection and Inflation testing have resulted in quality retreads that are every bit as good as new tyres. At Bourne, there are multiple inspection stages making the quality checks of the finished product as comprehensive as it gets.”

The full, more detailed report on our visit to the newly-upgraded Bandag facility, is scheduled to be published within the March edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine.

The Bulldog operation was founded in 1974 as part of the Sleaford Tyre Company Group and first supplied retreads to Bridgestone in the mid-1990s (Photo: Chris Anthony/Tyre Industry Publications Ltd.)