Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Celebrates Grand Opening of Jacksonville, Fla., Distribution CenterSite connects distribution network that strategically covers North America
Nashville, Tenn. (March 24, 2009) — Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is celebrating the grand opening of its newest state-of-the-art tire distribution center in Jacksonville, Fla. The opening marks the latest step in a modernization program of the company’s North America distribution center system.
With a capacity of more than a million tires ranging from small passenger and industrial tires to medium and heavy-duty commercial truck tires, the Jacksonville center will supply tires and automotive parts to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. In addition, the distribution center will supply the entire United States with tires produced in Latin America, and the Eastern half of the United States with tires from Japan and other Asian countries.
“The strategic location of the Jacksonville distribution center not only provides a tactical port of entry for our products, it also gives us the ability to provide overnight delivery service to virtually all of the customers serviced from this center,” said Steve Shelton, Vice President, Logistics Supply Chain Management, BATO. “The people, community and location of Jacksonville were critical factors in our decision to develop a center there back in early 2007. We’re very excited to call Jacksonville home.”
BATO operates seven distribution centers across North America. At more than one million square feet, the Jacksonville, Fla., facility is the largest of the company’s centers, boasts more than 200 dock doors and is capable of handling more than 50 trailer loads of product in and out of the facility daily. The center employs approximately 80 full-time teammates.
About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company's Latin American tire operations, the U.S. and Canadian consumer tire businesses and the U.S. and Canadian commercial tire businesses. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The business unit is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in the Americas. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.