Bridgestone's growth plan: 3 ways the tire maker is strengthening its position

If 2022 proved anything, it's that Bridgestone doesn't intend to stand still.

Nope. Bridgestone is growing. A lot, actually.

It's investing and adapting, charting a course for a more sustainable future. And as it does so, it's embracing new mobility, pushing the limits of its product capabilities and building partnerships that will strengthen its position for the years ahead.

Here are just three of the ways the Nashville, Tenn.-based tire maker is growing.

Since 2012, guayule has been a core component to Bridgestone's overall sustainability vision. And that will continue to be the case for the world's second-largest tire maker in the years ahead.

In 2022, the company committed to expanding its guayule research and looks to commercially scale its domestic, alternative natural rubber source. In November, Bridgestone received a $35 million USDA grant for this purpose. And that marked the second federal grant that the company received for guayule development. In March, Bridgestone was the recipient of a Department of Energy grant that was intended to support the cultivation of the desert shrub.

Then, of course, Bridgestone made some investments of its own, putting $42 million into its guayule R&D. The company said the funding would support the establishment of commercial operations around the alternative NR. And as part of this effort, the tire maker is focusing on growing partnerships with Native American tribes and U.S. farmers to expand the cultivation and harvest of guayule by as much as 25,000 acres.

And that's good news for Bridgestone, which already has proven the characteristics of guayule on the racetrack. The tire maker in June debuted guayule-based Firestone Firehawk racing tires that had sidewalls containing 100-percent guayule rubber.

But the buck doesn't stop with guayule. The company is working to expand its sustainable materials cache and has established partnerships that will bring more circularity to the industry.

Through a partnership with LanzaTech, the tire maker is working to better understand and develop end-of-life tire recycling processes. At the same time, Bridgestone has partnered with Michelin to explore how recovered carbon black could better benefit how they, and the tire industry overall, can make the best use of renewable and recyclable materials.

North America matters to Bridgestone. That was evident in 2022 when the tire maker vowed to expand its commercial tire capabilities with a $550 million investment in its Warren County, Tenn., plant. The move will increase capacity there by about 32 percent.

"This is one of the single largest investments we have made in our North American truck and bus tire production operations within the past decade," Riccardo Cichi, Bridgestone Americas president and chief sales officer for North America, told Rubber News. "It underscores both our confidence in the market and in our Warren teammates for their capacity to support the business in terms of growth, quality, efficiency and new technology."

Construction on the expansion began in the fall. Upon completion—likely in mid-2024—the facility will have 850,000 additional square feet, bringing its total square footage to about 2.83 million.

Bridgestone, a vocal proponent of retreading as a safe and more sustainable industry practice, also has earmarked $60 million for expansion of its Bridgestone Bandag L.L.C. tread rubber plant in Abilene, Texas.

In Akron, Bridgestone's commitment to growth was characterized by its commitment to the city. In June, the tire maker christened its new $21 million, 80,000-sq.-ft. race tire manufacturing plant, a move that ensured the continued production of its race tires in Akron and modernized its operations.

Within the new mobility space, ideas and innovations are emerging. And as the automotive and tire industries look to understand exactly what the new technologies mean for the future of their products, they're leveraging every advantage.

For that, Bridgestone plans to go airless.

In August, the tire maker shared some of its nonpneumatic tire development strides with Rubber News, noting that it has intensified its focus on developing an airless commercial tire. And so far, so good, according to Bridgestone.

The tire maker hopes to begin trials of its maintenance-free nonpneumatic tire solution with fleets this year.

Speaking of maintenance-free, Bridgestone unveiled another breakthrough in 2022, pointing to a partnership with Dow that expanded the company's B-Seal products and is likely to strengthen its run-flat tire offerings.

The development, a silicone tire liner, not only allows for tires to heal from many punctures, it's also more sustainable, allowing for tires to be more easily recycled.

And Bridgestone continues to invest in technologies and companies that are driving the conversation around electric, autonomous, shared and connected vehicles. Among those in 2022 were investments in a trio of up-and-coming automotive technology companies—May Mobility, Yoshi and Tyrata.