Bridgestone Begins Production of Radial Tires for Aircraft at Tokyo Plant
- Further Strengthens Company's Focus on Strategic Products -
Tokyo (August 26, 2008) - Bridgestone Corporation ("Bridgestone") started production of new radial aircraft tyres at its Tokyo Plant this month after completing the initial phase of the project which began with the announcement of the initiative in September 2006. Once the Tokyo Plant project is fully completed by the end of 2011, Bridgestone plans to boost overall production capacity of new aircraft tyres by around 2.5 times relative to the current level.
Historically, Bridgestone has produced new radial tyres for aircraft only at its Kurume Plant, but Bridgestone decided to commence production at its Tokyo Plant in order to meet the growth in global demand.
Bridgestone's radial aircraft tyres have been fitted on the giant, state-of-the-art Airbus A380, and are also standard equipment on all next-generation Boeing 787 airplanes. The Tokyo Plant will produce and supply radial tyres for both of these aircraft.
Aircraft tyres are subjected to harsh operating conditions imposed by repeated takeoffs and landings, while supporting heavy passenger airliners traveling at high speeds. As such, the development of aircraft tyres requires a tyre manufacturer to apply advanced technologies across the board. The Bridgestone Group also recognizes the supply of retread tyres and services as a crucial part of aircraft tyre business. The Bridgestone Group has retread aircraft tyre plants in North America, Europe, Asia and Japan and offers comprehensive products and services combining support for both new and retread tyres.
The Bridgestone Group considers radial aircraft tyres as strategic products and will focus on aggressively increasing its presence in this growing market and expanding its business by leveraging the company's strong competitive advantages.
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tyre and rubber company. In addition to tyres for use in a wide variety of applications, it manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.