Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Corporation announced it plans to close its tyre manufacturing plant in LaVergne, in the US state of Tennessee, as part of its strategy to “optimize the company’s business footprint, strengthen its competitiveness and enhance the quality of the US operations.”
Bridgestone built the LaVergne plant in 1971. It currently produces radial tyres for trucks and buses, employing approximately 700 hourly workers and staff. Bridgestone Americas confirmed that the plant will cease operations at the end of July 2025, with the company also planning to reduce capacity and the workforce at its Des Moines agriculture tyre plant in Iowa.
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Bridgestone, which took over US tyre manufacturer Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in 1988, pointed out that it has invested in new, more modern tyre manufacturing facilities in the US in the last few decades, including in Warren County, Tennessee, and Aiken County, South Carolina. The company said it remains committed to contributing to society, the economy, and the mobility of people and goods across the US.
Bridgestone said it has been updating and optimising its US business footprint recently, including its national headquarters, the technology center in Akron, Ohio, its Bandag retreading sites and its sales and service network including 2,200 retail stores.
The company said in a statement: “While adapting to the challenges of the business environment as Bridgestone continues to strengthen its core premium tyre business and sustainably create social and customer value, further optimization of the business footprint and costs becomes increasingly essential. Therefore, the decision to close the LaVergne plant has been made.”
Bridgestone Americas president, Scott Damon, stated: “Decisions like this are not easy because of the impact they have on our teammates and their families, and at the same time we are optimizing our business footprint for the future. We are confident that this decision will strengthen our core business, enabling us to operate more efficiently.”
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By GlobalDataThe company also said it is “undertaking business rebuilding activities” in Latin America, including “cost optimization efforts along with reductions in workforce and production capacity at its facilities and business operations in Argentina and Brazil.”
