Bridgestone Corp. posted net sales of 1.38 trillion yen ($15.6 billion) on net income of 44.5 billion yen ($502 million) during the first half of 2010.
That compares to sales of 1.2 trillion yen ($12.6 billion) on a loss of 38.3 billion yen ($400.8 million) posted during the same period in 2009.
In the Americas, Bridgestone achieved net sales of 607.8 billion yen on operating income of 24.7 billion yen during the first half of 2010 vs. sales of 539.6 billion yen on operating income of 5.2 billion yen during the same period last year.
"In the first half of fiscal 2010, the company's operating environment was plagued by rising prices for raw materials," say Bridgestone officials. "Despite these challenges, the domestic economy showed signs of slight recovery. In part, due to government economic stimulus measures, the U.S. gradually recovered, and although conditions remain challenging, the business climate in Europe showed signs of bottoming out. In Asia, the rate of recovery continued to accelerate throughout all regions, particularly in China."
Under these operating conditions, Bridgestone "focused on increasing sales of highly competitive products, strengthening supply capacity, improving manufacturing productivity, enhancing technological superiority, and effectively utilizing management resources."
In the tire segment, Bridgestone "worked hard to maximize... sales momentum by introducing appealing new products worldwide, particularly those that have been identified as strategic and important" to future growth.
