Bridgestone Americas Inc. says it is targeting the end of May for a restart of all of its manufacturing operations in North and Latin America. That includes consumer tire plants that have been closed since March.
The company is currently "executing the final phase of a restart plan" for the facilities.
"The ramp-up of these remaining production facilities will bring all Bridgestone Americas manufacturing locations back into operation," say company officials.
" All plants will resume operations in alignment with the latest safety protocol guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support a safe and healthy environment for employees."
In late-March, Bridgestone Americas initiated its phased restart plan to support the increasing demands of essential business segments and partners serving those segments. The company’s Bandag retread rubber manufacturing plants in North America resumed operations the week of March 29.
On April 13, the company restarted its North American commercial tire plants, North American Firestone Industrial Products and Firestone Building Products manufacturing facilities.
“We remain laser-focused on employee safety at all Bridgestone Americas facilities,” says Paolo Ferrari, CEO and president, Bridgestone Americas. “As our remaining facilities come back online, we will continue to take a measured approach and utilize the latest safety protocols from the CDC as a foundational roadmap to guide our restart activities. Close collaboration with local, state and federal authorities, as well as site leaders throughout all of our operations has been and will continue to be a key component of our success as we bring our teammates back to work."
