Bridgestone Corporation has invested in NEXT Logistics Japan, a company established by truck manufacturer Hino Motors in 2018 to explore new technologies and solutions for the logistics industry. The new investor will work together with NEXT Logistics Japan on a new long-distance transportation scheme that aims to reduce the number of drivers required for road haulage.
Bridgestone’s approach to BAUMA, a leading global trade fair for the construction and mining markets, exemplified the current megatrends prevalent among premium tyre brand manufacturers in the OTR sector – indeed in most tyre segments – highly specialised products with a range of services developed to support end users; or to use Bridgestone’s own term, solutions. The manufacturer said that it is committed to support customers by identifying and solving the challenges of a business, and world, in rapid transformation.
Bridgestone Europe NV/SA, the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, has entered into an agreement with TomTom to acquire its telematics business for a cash consideration of 910 million euros. Michelin had also been named as a suitor for the business when the news that TomTom Telematics was for sale emerged in November 2018.
Offered as part of its fleet service programme in Europe since 2013, Bridgestone is now beginning the rollout of its Tirematics solution in the Asia Pacific region. The solution is initially being deployed in Singapore and Thailand.
Bridgestone showcased its range of premium services, including its new M-Series commercial tyre line-up, to representatives of “hundreds of businesses” at the CV Show 2017. It adds that it concluded “a prestigious fleet agreement” with dairy firm Arla during the event.
A TPMS-based monitoring service has been offered as part of Bridgestone’s fleet service programme since 2013, and Bridgestone’s fleet data server currently monitors more than 100,000 tyres, with more than 25,000 tyres measured each day. At the IAA show, Bridgestone shared details of an expansion to its Tirematics connected tyre solution that provides relevant vehicle data to the server on a continuous basis.
Bridgestone has begun verification tests of its Tirematics fleet solution. In partnership with its Bridgestone do Brasil subsidiary and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Rio de Janeiro, the tyre maker is evaluating the effectiveness of Tirematics in preventing unexpected operational problems or major delays due to tyre failures.
