TOKYO (Aug. 26, 2008) — Bridgestone Corp. began production of radial aircraft tires at its Tokyo plant earlier this month, giving the company two manufacturing sites for the product line.
Bridgestone invested more than $40 million over the past two years to install capacity for radial aircraft tires at the Tokyo plant. By the time the investment project is completed in 2011, the company's capacity for the tires — used by many of the world's largest airlines — will be 2.5 times that before the expansion was announced in 2006, Bridgestone said without disclosing actual capacities.
Prior to this, Bridgestone's only radial aircraft tire capacity was at its Kurume, Japan, plant.
Bridgestone said it will source tires for the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 airplanes from the Tokyo plant.
The Tokyo-based tire maker also has aircraft tire retreading plants in North America, Europe, Asia and Japan to support its new tire business.