Bridgestone restructuring, closing Tennessee plant

NASHVILLE—Bridgestone Americas Inc. is shuttering its 53-year-old La Vergne, Tenn., truck/bus tire plant.

Announced Jan. 23, the closure—set for July 31—will result in the loss of about 700 salaried and hourly positions and is the latest in a series of moves intended to streamline Bridgestone's operations and optimize its company footprint in North and Latin America.

"Decisions like this are not easy because of the impact it has on our teammates and their families, and, at the same time, we are optimizing our business footprint for the future," Scott Damon, CEO of Bridgestone West and group president for Bridgestone Americas, said in a statement. "We are confident that this decision will strengthen our core business, enabling us to operate more efficiently."

The La Vergne plant has a rated capacity of around 2 million tires per year, and the tire maker intends to transfer this capacity to other Bridgestone facilities.

"Production from La Vergne will be shared among several existing plants," Bridgestone told Rubber News in an email interview. "With respect to long-term finished tire production, it will be assumed by existing Bridgestone Americas plants. No jobs are being transferred to or added at other locations."

While the company didn't specify which facilities are likely to make up the production losses, it is worth noting that Bridgestone operates just one other truck/bus tire plant in the U.S., a 35-year-old factory in Warren County, Tenn. That facility has a rated capacity for around 3.3 million tires each year, according to Rubber News' annual Global Tire Report.

And it's growing.

In 2023, the tire maker broke ground on a $550 million expansion at its Warren County plant. The project, expected to be complete sometime in 2026, is adding 900,000 square feet to the 1.9 million-sq.-ft. facility. At the same time, it is upgrading equipment and technology to ensure more efficient and sustainable manufacturing.

Bridgestone Americas operates several truck/bus radial facilities in Latin America—in Argentina, Brazil and Costa Rica.

Bridgestone facilities in Canada and Mexico manufacture passenger car and light truck tires.

Closure of the La Vergne plant comes about six months after the tire maker announced capacity and work force reductions at its plant in Des Moines, Iowa. The company said at the time that the softening ag tire market led to the Iowa reductions, which included 118 layoffs.

It was not immediately clear if there would be additional cuts at the Des Moines facility.

"The current economic environment for 2025 looks tough," Bridgestone said. "Because of this, we are optimizing our structure and reprioritizing our activities to align with the current market realities. At this time, there is nothing more to share on Des Moines."

In an email to Rubber News, Bridgestone noted that it also has undertaken optimization efforts at its Santo Andre, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, facilities.

And, as the company winds down its La Vergne operations, it's also turning its attention to corporate operations, where cuts are expected at corporate and sales levels as well as the company's Akron Technology Center.

"The company is implementing similar optimization measures in its corporate and sales operations throughout the Americas. The aim of all these measures is to ensure lean operations and efficient manufacturing through balanced technology investments and expanding the company's mobility technology," Bridgestone said.

"Of our nearly 44,000 teammates across North America and Latin America, just under 4 percent of our teammates are leaving the company as part of the voluntary and involuntary work force reductions."

The company declined to say what, if any, impact its non-tire operations would see as a result of the restructuring. It did, however, acknowledge that as it works toward building a stronger, more competitive and leaner Bridgestone, all aspects of the operations are being evaluated.

"We regularly evaluate all aspects of our business to ensure we remain competitive, and our resources are allocated in a manner that best supports our business strategy and our customers," Bridgestone said. "We will not speculate about the future of other locations. What we can share is that, ultimately, we aim to ensure a sustainable business for the long term."

Bridgestone has been investing heavily in its air springs operations, which it brought under the Firestone Airide moniker just about two years ago.

Last year, Bridgestone invested $26 million to bring online two Firestone Airide distribution centers—one in Williamsburg, Ky., and the other in Dyersburg, Tenn. Both distribution centers are located adjacent to manufacturing facilities.

In 2021, Bridgestone invested $51 million to add an additional 68,000 square feet at its Williamsburg factory, a move intended to help meet the needs of a burgeoning electric vehicle market.

"Our aim is to ensure a long-term sustainable and competitive business that creates customer value," Bridgestone said. "This approach further enhances the company's commitment to contribute to the U.S. society, the economy and mobility of people and goods throughout the nation in the long term."

Bruce Davis, Tire Business staff, contributed to this report.