Bridgestone Corp. will increase the production capacity of its Chinese radial passenger tire plant in Tianjin, China. The increase at the Bridgestone Tianjin Tire Co. Ltd. (Tianjin Plant) is necessary to meet the demand for tires in China, which is expected to grow in the medium- to long-term.
Under the current schedule, the Tianjin Plant will begin production at its increased capacity in July 2012. The Tianjin Plant will make a total investment of 1,054 million yuan ($163 million). With that the company says it will boost the plant's production capacity by 8,800 tires per day, enabling it to produce a total of 25,300 tires per day.
The Bridgestone Group says it particularly plans to expand the production capacity of eco-friendly tires, such as Ecopia brand tires, as well as to start the local production of winter tires in its Chinese tire plant. For more information on this tire, see Bridgestone Ecopia line grows to 29 sizes.
The expansion in production capacity at the Tianjin Plant is part of the Bridgestone Group's strategy to bolster its ability to meet the growing demand for radial passenger tires in China. At the same time, the group is developing systems to enhance its "speed to market" which will improve its ability to quickly meet the product needs of its customers in the Chinese market.
