Bridgestone Posts First Half Profit Increase
Bridgestone Corp. achieved $1.58 billion in operating profit during the first half of 2025, up 2.4% year-over-year.
The Tokyo, Japan-based company posted around $14.3 billion in revenue during the first half of 2025, down 2.8% year-over-year.
During the first half, Bridgestone continued “to reinforce (its) premium global strategy,” which resulted in “continuous improvement in sales mix,” according to Bridgestone officials.
Bridgestone also further expanded its suite of “BtoB solutions,” among other efforts.
North America results
In North America, Bridgestone posted slightly more than $5.9 billion in sales during the first six months of 2025 and “secured a profit increase in the premium tire business.”
The company followed suit in its commercial replacement business, which includes both tires and solutions, as well as the firm’s retreading business, which “maintained high market share and profitability.”
Bridgestone says its U.S. consumer tire business “is rebuilding,” with plans to expand the presence of the company’s Firestone brand. (Bridgestone is celebrating Firestone’s 125th anniversary this year.)
In a presentation, Bridgestone also pointed out measures that it took in the U.S. during the first half of 2025, including closure of its LaVergne, Tenn., TBR tire plant, and workforce reductions in corporate, sales and operations functions.
Other regions
Bridgestone’s Europe region generated $2.32 billion in sales during the first half of 2025. In Europe, Bridgestone “continued a thorough focus on premium,” while optimizing its manufacturing base.
In Asia Pacific, India and China, Bridgestone achieved slightly under $1.67 billion in sales.
The company’s sales in Latin America were down on a year-over-year basis versus the same period last year.
Specialty tires
Bridgestone’s specialty tire business, which includes ag, aviation and OTR tires, generated around $2 billion in revenue during the first half of 2025, maintaining a “high profit structure with over 20% margins.”
However, the ag tire business, “which experienced a significant profit decrease and a deficit, weighed down the overall profitability of the specialties segment,” according to Bridgestone officials.
Looking ahead
During the second half of 2025, Bridgestone plans to “reinforce” its commercial tire business in the U.S. and will “accelerate” the revitalization of Firestone.
"I think you're going to see a renewed focus on consumer rebuilding” from Bridgestone in the U.S., Scott Damon, CEO, Bridgestone West; group president, Bridgestone Americas Inc.; and Bridgestone's global chief digital transformation officer, told MTD this past June. “Our Bridgestone product line has been completely revamped. A lot of that was (driven by) customer feedback. Next year - at least the middle of next year - you're going to start seeing the Firestone product line revamped.
"On the commercial side, I think we're going to continue to work on growing our fleet business with our distribution network and bringing what I would call a total offering - including dealer service (and) dealer solutions that come through technology, as well as great products - to them.
"I think, lastly, one of the big strategies that we're trying to build upon with our customers and our independent dealers, specifically, is making sure that it's just easier to do business with Bridgestone. It’s not lost on us that sometimes we're complicated in that arena. Piece by piece, we're really trying to work on solving those problems to make it easier for those customers to interact with us, so it's a big part of our strategy."