Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations Announces New Investment In Agricultural Tire Unit
DES MOINES, Iowa (June 7, 2012) –Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (Bridgestone Americas) today announced plans for an additional $74 million investment to further expand capacity at its primary agricultural tire manufacturing facility in Des Moines, Iowa. Combined with the ongoing $77 million investment project announced in March of 2010, Bridgestone Americas will invest a total of $151 million in the facility to confirm the company’s commitment to maintaining its leadership position in the agricultural tire industry.
The investment at the facility will be used to enhance the core manufacturing areas of tire building, curing and necessary support equipment, and will allow the company to meet the growing demand for Firestone-brand radial farm tires both in North America and globally. These improvements are expected to be completed in 2013.
“Enhancements to the Des Moines facility will allow us to grow our market position, develop advanced solutions and deliver the most innovative tire technology available to the agricultural industry,” said Ken Allen, President, Agricultural Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales division, Bridgestone Americas. “This investment is also a great way to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Harvey Firestone’s introduction of the first pneumatic tire specifically for agricultural use. Since 1932, the Firestone brand has continued to build on this leadership position and on the tire technology that revolutionized farming.”
The farming industry continues to move towards larger and more efficient farm equipment, but at the same time producers want to minimize ground compaction. To meet these needs, the farm equipment industry increasingly requires larger and wider radial tires that provide better traction and an increased tire footprint. The Des Moines plant manufactures these types of tires.
The facility employs 1,673 people, and has been an integral part of the Des Moines community and Central Iowa since the mid-1940s. In addition to manufacturing Firestone-brand agricultural tires, this facility also produces tires for the forestry and construction equipment markets.
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 and commercial tire businesses; and Bridgestone Retail Operations, LLC, which operates the largest network of company-owned automotive service providers in the world. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The commercial tire division is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying tires to passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and retread markets.
About Agricultural Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales division, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:
Agricultural Tire, U.S. & Canada Commercial Tire Sales division (BAAG), Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, is the industry leader in the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of market-leading Firestone agricultural tires. BAAG’s Des Moines, Iowa, facility is located in the heart of America’s farm belt and supplies approximately half of the agricultural tires consumed by North American original equipment manufactures as well as being the leading agricultural tire supplier in the North American replacement market. Firestone agricultural tires can be found on farm tractors, planting and harvesting equipment and other farm implements in North America and around the world. In addition BAAG markets and sells forestry and construction tires. BAAG also operates a testing facility, located in Columbiana, Ohio, which is the only facility in the world solely dedicated to the development and testing of agricultural tires.