The company is headquartered in Tokyo. Tires and other products are manufactured at 180 factories in 25 countries of the world. There are 14 tire factories in the USA, in Japan - 10, in China - 6, in Thailand - 5, in Brazil - 4, in Mexico, Belgium and Spain - 3, in India, Indonesia, South Africa and Poland - 2. There are tire factories. in Australia, Taiwan, Turkey, France, Italy, Hungary, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina and Costa Rica.
Early history of the company
The Bridgestone Company was founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi. The name of the company itself is a literal translation into English of the surname of the founder. The surname literally translates into Russian - "stone bridge".
The first tire plant was built in 1934 in Kurume, Japan. In the thirties of the last century, in addition to tires, the company also produced sports goods, hoses, belts, insulation materials, which then brought it the bulk of its profits.
During World War II, the firm was forced to serve the needs of the army. During one of the bombings, the company's headquarters was destroyed. Lost documentation. But the factories in Kuruma and Yokohama survived, which made it possible to start production after the war.
In the fifties, the company developed at a rapid pace. The company became the number one tire manufacturer in Japan. Annual sales revenue reached ten billion yen.
Expansion to the international market
The sixties marked the beginning of Bridgestone's expansion into the international market. In 1965, the first overseas plant opened in Singapore. Tire production soon began at a new plant in Thailand. A sales office was opened in North America.
The expansion continued into the seventies. Bridgestone has built factories in Indonesia and Iran. The company also acquired tire manufacturing facilities in Taiwan and Australia from local manufacturers.
In the eighties, Bridgestone continued its overseas expansion strategy with the goal of becoming one of the three largest rubber manufacturers in the world. As part of this strategy, the firm acquired the Tennessee plant from Firestone. It became Bridgestone's first manufacturing site in North America.
Well, in 1988, Firestone itself, the second, at that time, tire company on the American continent was bought out. Thus, Bridgestone has become a global corporation. Several dozen factories in North, Central and South America were added to its production facilities. Also in 1988, the company began operations in Europe.
In the nineties, the corporation continued to expand its business globally. New manufacturing facilities have been established in Thailand, India, Poland, China and the United States of America.
