NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Bridgestone Americas Inc. has invested in ClearMotion Inc. to incorporate road-sensing technology into its products to build a smoother ride.
Bridgestone will work with ClearMotion to develop new anti-vibration technologies through its Firestone Industrial Products business. The investment amount is not being disclosed. Currently, no new jobs are being added, said Scott Damon, president of Firestone Industrial Products, a Bridgestone business focused on anti-vibration technologies.
Bridgestone is the only tire and rubber manufacturing company invested in ClearMotion, which is based in Boston.
Firestone had been watching ClearMotion, originally called Levant Technologies, since its startup, especially paying attention to its projects related to low-frequency damping on vehicles, said Damon. Both companies were looking for ways to reduce vibration and create a better ride, and the synergy brought them together to begin a conversation that accelerated in about the fourth quarter of 2016.
"There was a lot of excitement (at ClearMotion) that matched our vision, and around where both companies are trying to go in a world that's going to be more digitized in transportation and more autonomous," Damon said.
The investment was completed at the end of March. ClearMotion, which designs and builds digital motion control systems, developed a forward-looking technology called proactive ride. That technology could be coupled with Firestone products to improve vibration control and reduce noise, vibration and harshness in vehicles, said Graham Brookes, director of technology for Firestone Industrial Products.