Construction of the Bridgestone Vietnam tyre plant started 2 July in the Dinh Vu Industrial Zone in northern Hai Phong, Vietnam. The US$575 million project, the biggest foreign investment so far in Hai Phong is being built on a 1.02 million sq m lot. The new plant will have a capacity of 24,700 tyres per day.
Bridgestone recently also has increased its production capacities at the Nong Khae Plant in Thailand and Karawang Plant in Indonesia to supply tires to these markets. Regardless, the tyre maker determined that a new plant in Vietnam was necessary in order to respond to continuing growth in demand.
Operations in Hai Phong City will begin in March 2014, and by the time the plant is complete in the first half of 2016. By this time the factory should employ some 1,900 workers.
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