Bridgestone Corporation says it has developed an optimization system for Para rubber tree plantations that utilizes big data to contribute to higher yields at rubber farms.
Rubber farms deploy different clones of trees across vast areas and face various management issues, such as how to optimize the number of trees in a planting area and harvest procedures. The newly developed system seeks an optimal tree planting plan over more than 30 years, which the company says improves and stabilizes the plantation yield.
Through the academic advice from the Institute of Statistical Mathematics at Research Organization of Information and Systems in Japan, Bridgestone says the system employs a mathematical model that incorporates a multitude of factors, including soil health, disease management, and clone potential, among candidates. The final model is specified based on the rubber farm management expertise of Bridgestone, the company says.
To achieve the company’s vision, “2050 Bridgestone continues to provide social value and customer value, as a sustainable solutions company.” Bridgestone says it has set a new environmental mid-term goal, Milestone 2030, to further promote the challenges of “decoupling” the growth of its business from its environmental impact and increased resource consumption. The company says it provides solutions to contribute to safer and more secure transportation, and it will further reduce its impact on the environment by reducing its CO2 emissions and realizing the circular economy including expanding renewable resources.
