Bridgestone to Restart NA Commercial Tire Operations

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) has announced plans to restart its North American commercial tire plants as well as its North American Firestone Industrial Products and Firestone Building Products manufacturing facilities on April 13.

Bridgestone says its start-up plans reflect the performance trend in several key areas of its commercial and diversified products businesses not as severely affected by the current crisis. Bridgestone Bandag’s retread rubber manufacturing plants in North America resumed operations the week of March 29, due to demand by essential service providers. The company says it continues to work closely with its customers and partners to ensure adequate supply, while closely monitoring volatility in demand.

To ensure the health and safety of employees, Bridgestone says plants resuming operations will do so in alignment with the latest safety protocol guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Bridgestone says its passenger tire plants in North America, as well as all plants in Latin America are scheduled to resume operations by the first week of May, with some facilities potentially opening sooner.

The company says it has sufficient supply of original equipment and consumer replacement product to meet customer demand, but continues to align supply to current market demand. The company’s distribution centers, plant warehouses and logistics teams are continuing to fill orders.

GRI recently conducted programs in Sri Lanka to empower women and motivate children under its Green x Circle initiative. The company said these endeavors aimed to address the needs of the community, focusing on both women empowerment and youth motivation.

GRI recently organized a training program titled "Management of household finance under current economic conditions" at the Ingiriya Rubber Collecting Center in Sri Lanka, South Asia led by Shashika Nimali, an NLP practitioner and life coach. The company said this initiative provided women in the industry with essential skills and knowledge to effectively manage household finances. GRI's tailored training sessions equipped participants with tools for informed decision-making, ultimately fostering greater financial security and independence, the company said.