An independent jury of top tyre industry experts has voted Bridgestone “Tire Manufacturer of the Year” in the 2016 Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence.
The announcement was made at a gala ceremony during Tire Technology Expo in Hanover, Germany on 17th February.
The judges applauded several Bridgestone achievements in R&D and sustainable manufacturing during 2015, including a US$250 million investment in Tokyo, Japan for facilities to foster open innovation based on industry-government-academia partnerships.
The judges cited three other Bridgestone achievements in 2015:
- Bridgestone’s first construction of a passenger tyre made with natural rubber obtained entirely from guayule – a plant that grows only in arid desert regions – which is anticipated to contribute to the diversification of natural rubber sources;
- the updating and relocation of the Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center in Thailand;
- and for sustainable manufacturing, the Bridgestone tyre plant in Wilson, NC, USA which became a zero-waste-to-landfill facility.
In addition to the projects cited above, judges were impressed by Bridgestone’s overall commitment to growth through R&D investment, as Mr Flavio Farroni, research fellow at University of Naples Federico II, Italy, demonstrated, “The Bridgestone company, and in particular the Bridgestone Technical Center Europe, increased its know-how, staff and R&D budget during 2015. It’s a clear signal of a company strongly motivated to grow in the coming years, strengthening its reference position in the tyre development and production field.”
This is the 5th time that Bridgestone has won a Tire Technology award since the programme was introduced in 2008.