To meet growing global demand for passenger car radials, Bridgestone Corp. has decided to erect a new plant in Vietnam.
The company will invest 35.5 billion yen in the project, which is expected to enter production in the first half of 2014. When production reaches full capacity in the first half of 2016, the Vietnam plant will manufacture some 27,400 tires per day and boast a workforce of around 1,900 employees.
Bridgestone says the new plant will primarily serve as an export base for general use replacement market tires sold in the European, North American and Japanese markets. To meet rising demand within these regions in the short term, the tiremaker has increased production capacities at its Nong Khae Plant in Thailand and Karawang Plant in Indonesia. Bridgestone determined, however, that a new plant is necessary in order to respond to continuing growth in demand.
Vietnam was selected to host the new facility following a “comprehensive evaluation from a variety of perspectives, including infrastructure, location, workforce and cost.” The plant will be built in the Dinh Vu Industrial Zone in Hai Phong City.
The Vietnam plant will be Bridgestone’s 50th tire making facility worldwide. Bridgestone currently produces new tires at 47 plants in 20 countries, and in addition to its project in Vietnam is currently also setting up a new plant in India, which will begin manufacturing passenger car radials in January 2013 and truck and bus radials in August 2013, and a facility for producing giant OTR radials for construction and mining vehicles in the U.S. (Tyres & Accessories)
