BFS to invest $17 million in Aiken / Graniteville tyre facility

Nashville, Tennessee--Bridgestone/Firestone celebrated the manufacture of its 50 millionth tyre at its Aiken County, South Carolina, plant with the announcement of a $17 million capital investment in the facility.

BFS will add a fourth rubber mixer to the plant--located in Graniteville, South Carolina-and modify five existing tyre-building machines so they can produce large-rim diameter tyres on the factory´s high-tech production line. The modifications to the tyre assembly systems will increase the plant´s ability to meet the market demand for world-class tyres with larger rim sizes, BFS said. The tyre maker's total investment in the Aiken County plant now stands at roughly $477 million.

"I am honoured to be here to celebrate this milestone with the great team at our Aiken County facility," said Mark Emkes, chairman and CEO of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. "This multi-million dollar investment is an exciting step for our company. It is also evidence of our strong commitment to the Aiken County community and our promise to continue to improve quality, processes and systems in order to meet the needs of our consumers."

The Aiken County facility, which makes both radial passenger and light truck tyres, began operations in 1999 and currently employs 923. In November, the plant celebrated 2 million hours worked without a "lost time" injury and has been recognized as an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) facility for its outstanding safety and health management.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)

Press release from Bridgestone