Firestone Archives - Page 28 of 54 - Tyrepress

Tag Archive for: Firestone

Bridgestone and Firestone OE on 2007 Chrysler Sebring

When the all-new, redesigned 2007 Chrysler Sebring rolls into US showrooms this autumn it will be fitted exclusively with tyres from Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT). BFNT will supply the Chrysler Group’s Sebring Sedan with Firestone FR690 tyres in size P215/65R16 96T, while the Chrysler Sebring Touring and Chrysler Sebring Limited will ride on Bridgestone-brand Turanza EL40002 tyres in sizes P215/60R17 95T and P215/55R18 94T, respectively.

11th October 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Experience For T&A Competition Winner, Courtesy Of Firestone

A car enthusiast enjoyed a unique taste of life in the fast lane, after taking an exclusive tour of the Williams F1 factory as a guest of Bridgestone. Robert Newton was given open access to the F1 team’s state-of-the-art Grove head office as the winner of a Tyres & Accessories competition to promote the Firestone brand. The trip enabled him to indulge his passion for fast cars and pick up some useful tips for one of his hobbies-cum-business ventures – building rally cars.

6th October 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama Adds to OTR Sales Team

(Akron/Tire Review) US-based Yokohama Tire Corp. has hired former Bridgestone/Firestone executive Michael Baggett as its eastern region OTR sales manager, and promoted Tim Easter to national OTR fleet and OEM manager. According to Gary Nash, Yokohama’s director of OTR sales, Baggett will be responsible for OTR sales across states along the Atlantic Ocean, spanning from Florida to Maine, and Easter will focus on national account and OE business. Previously, Baggett also served as senior vice president for Cobre Tire and as national OTR director for Michelin’s Tire Centers Inc. unit.

4th October 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Liberian MP Seeks UN Protection for Firestone Plantation

(Akron/Tire Review) A lawmaker in Liberia’s lower house of parliament has called on the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) to deploy troops on a plantation owned by Firestone Natural Rubber Co. to prevent its takeover by a criminal gang. A gang styling itself the “Bad Boys of Bomi County” recently threatened in a leaflet to occupy the plantation at Harbel, Liberia’s largest employer.

18th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Unchecked Illegal Tapping, Paper Says, May Force Plantation Action

(Akron/Tire Review) The Liberian Times has reported that Bridgestone Americas Holding’s Firestone Plantation Co. in Liberia has threatened to close down its activities in the country if the Liberian government does not help control illegal tapping at the facility.

According to the paper, outsiders have been “on a rampage” over the last several months, illegally tapping natural rubber trees on Firestone Plantation grounds. Allegedly, this illegal activity has also resulted in the deaths of five Plantation contractors and injuries to dozens of company employees.

14th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

BFNAT Gets OE Deals With Mack, Volvo

(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire announced that it has signed two OE medium truck tyre deals – one with Mack and another with Volvo. Both deals kick in 1 October, and will see Bridgestone brand tyres come as standard equipment on all Mack and Volvo tractors.

13th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Says It Wants BFS-Union Deal Done First

(Akron/Tire Review) In an interesting twist to the current round of master contract talks, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has told the United Steelworkers that it wants the union to reach a deal with Bridgestone/Firestone before it will continue negotiations. It was expected that talks between Goodyear and the USW were further along than those between the union and Bridgestone/Firestone, and that the union’s talks with Bridgestone/Firestone would be more difficult.

12th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

BFNAT Buys Virginia Dealer

(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire confirmed that it had purchased White Tire, based in Virginia. White Tire has six retail stores, 11 commercial centres and six retread shops, and serves customers in Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Under BFNAT’s ownership, White Tire LLC will be a subsidiary operation.

7th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

BFNAT to Get New Tech Director, Hara Gets Key OE Position

(Akron/Tire Review) Hideo “Hank” Hara, Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire’s executive vice president of tyre development and technology, will be returning to parent company Bridgestone Corp. in October to become vice president and officer of OE tyre sales and motorsports. Replacing Hara at BFNAT will be Yutaka Yamaguchi, currently director of tyre development at Bridgestone. Yamaguchi will also assume Hara’s spot on the boards of directors of both BFNAT and Bridgestone America Holding.

6th September 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Retired Employees Protest at Goodyear and Bridgestone

The Akron Beacon Journal has reported that nearly 200 retired unionised workers have protested outside Goodyear’s corporate headquarters and later in front of Bridgestone Firestone’s Akron Technical Center to protest what they said are the tyremakers’ proposals to reduce retiree benefits. The protests, were aimed at pressuring Goodyear and Bridgestone in contract negotiations with the United Steelworkers of America. The union and two tyremakers are working under day-to-day extensions of contracts that expired in July. Negotiations started in June.

31st August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Del Balzo Aids Marangoni Development

UK TV viewers of BBC’s Top Gear motoring programme will be familiar with the character called “The Stig” – an anonymous driver who regularly puts cars through their paces by driving them at the limit. Italian tyre manufacturer Marangoni has its own version of the Stig who, according to the company, has the task of assisting the Marangoni research and development team in testing and analysing each product’s ‘intelligence’, on track and road. The information gained is used to ensure performance, comfort and safety are optimised for everyday drivers. The main difference is that the identity of Marangoni’s ‘Stig’ is not shrouded in mystery – he is in fact former F3 driver and European GT Champion, Cristiano del Balzo – the current Director of the Italian equivalent of the MSA, the CSAI Velocità.

29th August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Time for Tee

Golf enthusiasts at Bridgestone UK say they will have one eye on the lush fairways of Ohio this week when leading global stars contest the World Golf Championships. A strong field at the Bridgestone Invitational event, which tees off at the Firestone Country Club in Akron on Thursday (24 August), includes Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Geoff Ogilvy, Luke Donald and Paul Casey. As well as striving to emulate last year’s winner Tiger Woods, many of the American and European participants will also be looking to score valuable ranking points for a starting place in next month’s Ryder Cup.

23rd August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Turanzas OE on New Toyota Prius

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNAT) has announced that Bridgestone Turanza EL40002 tyres will be original equipment on the new 2007 Toyota Prius Touring Edition. BFNAT will supply the tyres in size P195/55R16 86V. The Bridgestone Turanza EL40002 is described as a “V-speed rated, all-season, luxury, touring original equipment tyre.” The 2007 Touring Edition of the Toyota Prius is hitting US dealerships this month.

21st August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Union, Goodyear Back to the Table, Remain Far Apart

(Akron/Tire Review) Even as both sides continue to pick over the fine print of the United Steelworkers (USW) new three-year master contract with Michelin North America, Goodyear and the Steelworkers reportedly remain far apart in their contract talks.

Goodyear’s union workers continue on the job, working on a day-to-day basis off their now expired contract. The USW’s deal with MNA has been established as the “pattern contract” for ongoing talks with Goodyear and now stalled talks with Bridgestone/Firestone.

16th August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Americas Closing Tyre Plant in Chile

(Akron/Tire Review) Bridgestone Americas Holding’s Bridgestone/Firestone Chile S.A. (BFC) unit said it is closing its Coquimbo, Chile, plant at year’s end. The company said that because of “intense competition from low-cost producers, the plant is not globally competitive and is projected to begin losing significant amounts of money with no viable strategy to reverse the losses.” The plant produces mass market and bias ply tyres and bias tyres.

7th August 2006/by Tyrepress Editors