BRUSSELS, Belgium (Feb. 23, 2009)—Bridgestone Europe has announced further temporary plant shutdowns.
Bridgestone said the plants at Bethune, France; Bilbao, Spain; Burgos, Spain; Bari, Italy; and Poznan, Poland, will all stop all production for 5-8 days per month during the first half of 2009.
The plant in Hungary remains open, while Bridgestone's truck plant at Stargard, Poland, has not yet opened. The company said it continues to keep the agricultural tire lines open at its Puente san Miguel, Spain, plant.
The company said it is taking the action to match production with demand and to ensure stock levels are appropriate to the market situation. In the medium to long term, Bridgestone said it will strive to match its output with demand.
The company recognized that it is expensive to run plants at reduced capacity but said it did not expect to make any permanent layoffs in the next month and would strive to keep workers employed—albeit on reduced hours—for as long as possible.