Bridgestone Corporation has announced that it will make strategic investments to expand capacity in three passenger car tyre plants in Japan: the Hikone plant, the Tosu plant, and the Tochigi plant. These are the main production bases for high rim diameter (HRD) tyres for passenger cars in the premium segment.
The collective investment will be approximately ¥27 billion (around US$180 million) with expansion scheduled to start from the beginning of 2025 and be completed by the end of 2028.
This investment is expected to increase total production capacity across the plants in Japan by approximately 3,000 tyres/day, mainly for tyres 20 inches and larger, for which demand is expected to grow.
The company adds it positions Japanese manufacturing as the core of its global operations. By enhancing Japan’s R&D manufacturing power, the company aims to further strengthen its earning power and global competitiveness.
In strengthening the premium tyre business for passenger cars, Bridgestone says it is accelerating value creation through the fusion of Enliten, the base technology for pursuing “ultimate customisation” in product design, and the Bridgestone Common Modularity Architecture (BCMA) 5, the base technology for manufacturing and R&D.
BCMA is designed to reduce operational business cost and environmental impact across the entire value chain by simplifying development and production process. For the consumer replacement tyre business where a tailwind in HRD tyre demand continues, Bridgestone is promoting the development of products equipped with its Enliten technology.
For the original equipment tire segment, the company is reinforcing the approach to premium vehicle model/OEMs, prestige OEMs and premium electric vehicles (EVs) to connect to replacement business recursion and the adoption of EVs.
Currently, the Hikone plant produces around 55,600 radial tyres/day for passenger cars and light trucks, while the Tosu plant has an output of 18,800 radial tyres/day for passenger cars and finally the Tochigi plant produces 12,300 radial tyres/day for trucks and buses, passenger cars, light.