As a response to the expected strong medium-to-long term global demand for aircraft radial tyres (APR), Bridgestone Corporation is increasing the production capacity of its Kurume manufacturing plant in Japan.
This production capacity increase will entail a total investment of JPY2.1 billion and is slated for completion by the end of 2018.
Representing a solutions business built for global scale, Bridgestone’s aircraft tyre operations combines new tyres, retread tyres, and technical services to respond to the sophisticated needs of aircraft manufacturers and airlines worldwide.
Currently, new APR are produced at the Kurume Plant and the Tokyo AP Plant. The company also manufactures retread aircraft tyres and provides other services in regions around the world, including Japan, the US, Belgium, and China.
Bridgestone aims to enhance global supply systems and further boost competitiveness domestically and abroad by increasing the production capacity of the Kurume plant.
At the same time, this capacity increase will contribute to enhance the group’s overall aircraft tyre solutions operations and help Bridgestone better respond to the growing and ever more diverse needs of customers.
In addition to aircraft tyres, the Kurume Plant produces a wide range of other tyres, including passenger car tyres, light truck tyres, racing tyres, and tyres for agricultural and industrial machinery. This plant is also used as a training site at which Bridgestone employees from around the world gather to learn about the Bridgestone spirit.
The Kurume Plant has thus continues to serve as Bridgestone’s core factory, playing a central role in fulfilling its mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality”for 85 years since the company’s founding.
Bridgestone is pushing forward with technological and business model innovations to accomplish its ultimate goals of “becoming a truly global company” and achieving “Dan-Totsu (Japanese term for the absolute and clear leader) in all aspects of its businesses”.
To this end, Bridgestone is advancing this solutions business, which goes beyond offering standalone products. Bridgestone pursues the creation of value for its customers by heightening product and service quality through innovations and improvements in all areas of the value chain, spanning from product development to procurement, production, supply, and sales.