Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations announced yesterday it will invest $36.6 million in its Warren County plant to increase production capacity by an additional 900 truck tires per day.
The expansion is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2013 and is projected to create 50 new jobs.
Bridgestone Americas Commercial Solutions group president Kurt Danielson made the announcement at a press conference attended by local, state and company officials at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
“With increasing demand in the market, it was time for us to increase capacity to meet the needs of customers seeking world-class Bridgestone and Firestone truck and bus tires,” said Danielson. “The outstanding people and facilities at our Warren County plant, as well as the long-standing partnership we have with the Warren County community and the state of Tennessee, made it the perfect location to make this investment and expand our production.”
In addition, Bridgestone Metalpha USA, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, announced a $75 million expansion at its plant in Clarksville, which will provide an additional 45 jobs in that community.
Gov. Bill Haslam lauded Bridgestone for its commitment to the state and local economies.
“I want to thank Bridgestone Americas for their continued reinvestment in Warren County and Tennessee. Our Jobs4TN strategy focuses on expanding existing businesses in-state, and Bridgestone Americas is providing jobs while also demonstrating a commitment to improving the quality of the community itself,” said Haslam.
On hand at the event was Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty.
“This major expansion in Warren County and the creation of new high-quality jobs underscores the success we are enjoying with the governor’s emphasis on growing existing Tennessee businesses. I congratulate Bridgestone on expanding its footprint as a flagship Tennessee company,” said Hagerty. “I have enjoyed the close working relationship with the Bridgestone CEO and president Gary Garfield and the entire Bridgestone team and look forward to celebrating many more successes in the future.”
State Rep. Charlie Curtiss said the expansion will provide a welcome boost to economic recovery in Warren County and the surrounding area.
“I think it’s a great day,” Curtiss said. “There are a lot of places this corporation could spend its money, and it’s investing it in Warren County. I think that’s a blessing.”
State Sen. Eric Stewart said it’s encouraging to hear news like this and credits the teammates in the Warren County plant, as well as the community, for providing the kind of work ethic and support that had a positive effect on Bridgestone’s decision.
“The folks in Warren County should be very happy, and they should be very proud too,” said Stewart. “Because when a corporation like Bridgestone looks at expanding or building a new facility, they take a close look at what kind of community their employees come from, what kind of education system they have, what kind of partnership they have with the entire community. We should be very pleased they decided to expand the Warren County plant because it says a lot for the county.”
In his remarks at the press conference Danielson expressed his appreciation to director of economic development Jeff McCormick and the Industrial Development Board for their contributions.
“We all understand that it is about profit, but at Bridgestone in Warren County it’s more than that,” McCormick said. “Bridgestone is like family to the area. From helping farmers out during a drought, to bringing kids to the Warren plant to teach them about our environment, Bridgestone is a vital member of our community and we are pleased to help create an environment that they can be successful in.”
The Warren County facility, which began operations in 1990, earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2008, becoming the first tire plant in the world to do so. The Warren County facility has also been recognized as an OSHA Voluntary Protection Program Star site. VPP status is awarded to companies that have comprehensive safety and health programs with injury rates below the industry’s national average.
The Bridgestone family of companies has invested more than $1.5 billion in manufacturing and distribution facilities and employs nearly 4,000 people in Tennessee.