Singapore (February 5, 2013) - Bridgestone Corporation today announced that its subsidiary, Bridgestone India Private Ltd. (BSID), held a ceremony marking the grand opening of the Pune Plant, located near the city of Pune in Maharashtra State, India. The Pune Plant began producing passenger car radial tires (PSR) in January 2013, and will begin producing truck and bus radial tires (TBR) in October 2013. Production capacity is expected to reach approximately 10,000 PSR units per day by the end of 2014, and approximately 3,000 TBR units per day by the second half of 2017. The Pune Plant is Bridgestone’s second tire production facility in India.
At the ceremony, Kazuhisa Nishigai, Bridgestone's COO and Representative Board Member, gave the opening speech. Mr. Nishigai talked about the outlook for growing the market in India, and the further expansion of the Company's operations there. He also mentioned how the Group is pleased that it will be able to offer its customers in India a higher level of service and supply, and his belief that the new plant would lead to further success for the Bridgestone group in the Indian market.
Through the construction of the Pune Plant, BSID has strengthened its ability to supply tires to the domestic market in India, which is expected to see growth in the production and sales of automobiles, as well as substantial growth in tire demand.
Moving forward, the Bridgestone Group will continue to build on its manufacturing and distribution systems in order to respond more quickly to changes in market demand and supply high quality products to our customers. Additionally, the Group will also continue working to support the growth and development of the local communities where we have a presence.
Overview of the Pune Plant:
1. Location: Chakan, suburbs of Pune, Maharashtra (Approximately 170 km southeast of Mumbai)
2. Products: PSR, TBR
3. Representative: Tatsuo Nakamura
4. Start of operations: PSR-January 2013, TBR-October 2013 (Planned)
5. Site area: Approximately 760,000 square meters
6. Production capacity:
- PSR-Approximately 10,000 units per day, (Planned by the end of 2014)
- TBR-Approximately 3,000 units per day (Planned by the second half of 2017)
7. Investment: Approximately ¥50 billion
8. Number of employees: Approximately 500 employees (as of January 31, 2013)
About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nation and territories around the world.
In the Asia Pacific region, Bridgestone locates its regional headquarters in Singapore, overseeing the operations of tire production and sales facilities, as well as supplying its products across more than 25 over countries in the region. Bridgestone Asia Pacific plays a key role in facilitating this large and growing market as it contributes significantly to the entire Bridgestone Group
In Vietnam, Bridgestone was founded on March 12th 2010 with its head office located in Ho Chi Minh City and representative office in Hanoi. The goal of Bridgestone Vietnam is to be become a state-of-the-art company that will provide the best solution for customers, bringing benefits to both the dealers, as well as end-users, while keeping in mind Bridgestone Group’s common mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality”, set by Bridgestone Founder Mr. Shojiro Ishibashi.