Bridgestone investing €24m in Spanish site for new truck tire line

Puente San Miguel, Spain – Bridgestone Corp is investing €24 million in its manufacturing site in Puente San Miguel, Spain, to launch a new product line focused on 24-inch radial truck tires.

The move will give “a significant boost” to the site in north Spain, where it will be able to manufacture agricultural and truck tires at the same time, the company said 11 June.

The investment will include purchase of new machinery and infrastructure in order to upgrade overall plant efficiency.

Robots, auto-guided vehicles, testing and production machinery will be installed, and energy efficiency will be improved.

Bridgestone has already committed a €35-million investment at the Puente San Miguel site under its 2018-2021 strategic plan.

Production from the new line is expected in 2019, although product development and qualification will take place in the second half of this year.

The Japanese tire-maker expects to create 40 jobs, selection process for which will being “in a few weeks”.

Through the project, production capacity is expected to reach 500 tires per day, Bridgestone noted.

According to Bridgestone, 24" radial truck tires have enhanced traction and durability, and are suitable for markets where they have to be used both on- and off-road.