NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 30, 2012)—Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations L.L.C. has begun construction on an expansion project at its Bloomington, Ill. OTR tire plant, which has been in operation since 1994.
The project, expected to be completed in mid-2013, will come in at a cost of $19.5 million, most of which will cover new machinery. Bridgestone said the additional capacity will go primarily to the production of tires used in heavy industry. The expansion is expected to add at least 40 new jobs to the facility's current roster of 420 workers.
Ken Weaver, president of the U.S. and Canada Commercial Tire Sales Division for Bridgestone Americas, said the boost in capacity at the plant, due to increasing demand in the market, “will better position us to respond to changing market conditions and to support our customers' growth strategies in markets around the world. At the same time, this new capacity will also allow us to be more responsive to the domestic market.”
Bridgestone Americas said the Bloomington factory investment follows its announcement in September 2011 that the company planned to invest $1.3 billion in its tire plants in Aiken County, S.C., Warren County, Tenn., and Des Moines, Iowa, in addition to an expansion by its parent, Bridgestone Corp., at its steel cord plant in Clarksville, Tenn