Bloomberg is reporting that Bridgestone Corp. "will spend a record $3.9 billion next year to expand production to meet rising demand from emerging markets."
On tap is a new aircraft tire plant in the U.S., as well as a boost to production capacity in China, according to CFO Akihiro Eto.
“In emerging markets right now, demand is topping supply,” Eto said. “We plan to expand our capacity to meet demand as soon as possible.”
Relative to tire sales, “Emerging markets are expected to make up 30% of Bridgestone’s fuel-efficient tire sales by 2016 from less than 20% now,” Bloomberg reported from Eto’s comments.