Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations celebrated the expansion of the company’s passenger tyre manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina, with an official groundbreaking ceremony today. The five-year, US$164 million investment to expand the 42-year-old, nationally recognized facility, which is one of the company’s most environmentally sustainable plants, will improve the plant’s global competitive position by installing leading edge technology, expanding production capacity and lowering costs.
“Today is a momentous day for all of us at the Wilson plant and across Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, as we break ground on this important expansion that will allow us to grow our production and manufacturing capabilities to meet the changing needs of our customers,” said Michael Darr, Plant Manager, Wilson Plant. “We’d like to thank the Wilson community for its support over the last 42 years, and we’re excited to begin this next chapter in our plant’s history.”
Phases one and two of the investment, which will total nearly US$100 million, will focus on the addition of 167,000 square feet of manufacturing space to accommodate new tyre assembly machines, materials handling systems, curing presses and associated equipment to increase plant capacity by 3,000 tyres per day, bringing daily production to 35,000 by 2018. The new equipment also will allow the plant to respond to the increase in global demand for higher rim size tyres, as well as improve quality and productivity while reducing costs.