Japan’s Bridgestone Corporation says that it will invest ¥25 billion to upgrade equipment for certain facilities at the Kitakyushu Plant, which produces tyres for mining and construction vehicles. This upgrade will be completed by the end of 2027. This strategic investment is a part of Bridgestone’s Mid Term Business Plan (2024-2026) to focus on delivering value over volume as it strengthens its off-the-road (OTR) tyre business, which drives the company’s premium tyre business, it added.
Bridgestone Mastercore, a flagship product in Bridgestone’s Dan-Totsu product, realises ultrahigh durability based on the combination of its new technologies including steel cord manufactured in-house. Since its announcement in August 2020, it has been deployed in approximately 100 mines globally and its value has been recognized by many mining companies.
Bridgestone adds its physical capabilities include field engineering services at mining sites (Genbutsu-Genba) for tyre maintenance and optimal use, supported by a global service solution network of approximately 130 sites. By fusing these strong physical capabilities and the digital capabilities, such as AI-driven tyre and vehicle data analytics, Bridgestone aims to evolve and expand its mining solutions. The solutions are further enhanced by vehicle operation data shared from customers based on trusts.
In July 2023, Bridgestone started to offer a new mining solutions service that optimise tyre maintenance timing and vehicle operation routes with tyre durability prediction model by leveraging AI to build its unique algorithms. This service was firstly introduced to the Spence copper mine (Pampa Norte operation) in Chile, operated by BHP Group Limited & Plc.