Bridgestone Corporation reports that its Bridgestone Americas, Inc. subsidiary has completed the sale of Firestone Building Products to Holcim Participations (US) Inc, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim Ltd. (LafargeHolcim). According to the Japanese company, the US$3.4 billion transaction will “advance Bridgestone’s efforts to deliver value to customers and society as a global leader providing tyres and advanced mobility solutions.”
Bridgestone Americas is providing a one-time, US$100 payment to all of its more than 33,000 employees in the USA who choose to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The company is also exploring options to deploy a comparable programme to employees in Canada and Latin America as the vaccine becomes more widely available. Bridgestone is among the first major employers in its industry to initiate a financial payment to employees who decide to be vaccinated.
Bridgestone Americas has executed a US$1.1 billion sustainability-linked credit facility in partnership with Sumitomo Mitsubishi Banking Corporation (SMBC). Under this credit facility, the costs that Bridgestone incurs in relation to its borrowings will decline or rise in line with independent appraisals of its sustainability.
Bridgestone has formed a partnership with the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC). The global competition for university teams challenges students to programme a modified Dallara IL-15 race car and compete in the world’s first autonomous high-speed, head-to-head race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Bridgestone will exclusively supply tyres for the event, scheduled for 23 October, 2021. The tyre manufacturer said that it will work closely with the IAC and its participating teams “on a collective vision to push the boundaries of self-driving car technology.” Bridgestone added that it wants the partnership to “increase public awareness of the impact that automation can have on society.”
Bridgestone Americas has announced plans to restart its North American commercial tyre plants as well as its North American Firestone Industrial Products and Firestone Building Products manufacturing facilities on 13 April. The company’s Bandag retread rubber manufacturing plants in North America resumed operations the week of 29 March in order to meet demand by essential service providers.
We can expect a flurry of business card printing and updates to LinkedIn profiles at Bridgestone in the near future following the announcement of several key appointments in the Americas and Asia Pacific regions. These latest executive management changes follow those announced in December 2019.
Bridgestone Corporation has announced several executive leadership changes in its Americas and Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMIA) regions, following the appointment of Shuichi Ishibashi as new CEO. The company said the changes reflect its “commitment to thoughtful succession planning” focusing on its global growth agenda.
Far from there being one trump card to keep commercial fleets happy and content, Bridgestone believes there are a number of compelling factors that combine to keep its customers on the right road. Bridgestone’s commercial sales director Greg Ward tells Tyres & Accessories that a number of factors combine to make Bridgestone a top proposition to commercial fleets. The manufacturer has invested in digital mobility solutions, while its latest tyres for the segment introduce improved fuel efficiency and durability characteristics.
Bridgestone Europe (Bridgestone) will rename TomTom Telematics as Webfleet Solutions on 1 October 2019, following its acquisition of the company on 1 April. The tyre giant revealed that the EMEA business currently serves more than 1.2 million vehicles with mobility subscriptions and fleet solutions.
Bridgestone Europe, Middle East and Africa (Bridgestone EMEA) will implement several changes to its leadership structure next month in conjunction with and complementary to the global leadership changes recently announced by parent company, Bridgestone Corporation. The changes take effect 16 September and are part of a broader succession platform designed to cultivate global leaders throughout the enterprise.
Bridgestone has launched Enliten, a new lightweight tyre technology designed to reduce rolling resistance and contribute to the reduction of a vehicle’s CO2 emissions, while providing the same wear life as a standard original equipment tyre. The company states the new material will benefit car manufacturers, drivers, and the environment.
Bridgestone’s car tyre business is currently pushing boundaries to offer services beyond replacement tyres to motorists. The most obvious way the manufacturer is approaching this is in the application of its DriveGuard run-flat technology beyond the original line of DriveGuard car tyres. The tyre manufacturer has added DriveGuard RFT to its Turanza, Blizzak and Weather Control lines, extending the availability of the technology to an even greater breadth of the market.
Bridgestone is applying its DriveGuard runflat technology beyond the original line of car tyres. The tyre manufacturer has added DriveGuard RFT to its Turanza, Blizzak and Weather Control lines, extending the availability of the technology to an even greater breadth of the market.
As of November, Bridgestone will make its proprietary DriveGuard RFT (run-flat technology) available on its main product lines for the aftermarket. Specifically, the Turanza, Blizzak and Weather Control tyre ranges will gain DriveGuard fitments.
Approximately 266 million euros are to be invested into three key Bridgestone production sites in Europe. In a statement covering its plans, Bridgestone Europe shares that funds will be directed towards expanding capacity at its Burgos facility in Spain and the Poznan and Stargard sites in Poland. The expansion projects will take places in phases over the coming five years, with all upgrades expected to be completed by early 2022.
Bridgestone
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