Bridgestone today celebrated the groundbreaking of its new passenger car tire facility in Vietnam, the company’s first factory in the country. The ceremony at the chosen plant site in the Dinh Vu Industrial Zone, Hai Phong City, was attended by the Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hoang Trung Hai, along with other government officials and management from Bridgestone’s business partners. Representing the tiremaker at the ceremony were Kazuhisa Nishigai, Bridgestone Corp. COO and representative board member, and Susumu Yazaki, president of Bridgestone Tire Manufacturing Vietnam LLC.

"The Bridgestone group looks forward to contributing to economic growth in Vietnam and Hai Phong City through this new operation, as well as providing employment for its citizens and cultivating new skills in our employees that will position them for future success," said Nishigai. "The global demand for tires continues to grow, and this plant will play an important part in helping us to meet the needs of our customers around the world."

The new 1.02 million square meter facility will serve as an export base for replacement tires sold in Europe, North America and Japan. Bridgestone recently also has increased its production capacities at the Nong Khae Plant in Thailand and Karawang Plant in Indonesia to supply tires to these markets. Regardless, the tiremaker determined that a new plant in Vietnam was necessary in order to respond to continuing growth in demand. Operations in Hai Phong City will begin in March 2014, and by the time the plant is complete in the first half of 2016 it will boast a daily production capacity of 24,700 tires. By this time the factory should employ some 1,900 workers. (Tyres & Accessories)