Bridgestone announces €120m expansion plan in Brazil

Tokyo – Bridgestone Brazil has announced plans to invest more than BRL700 million (€118 million)  in modernising and expanding its tire manufacturing plant in the city of Camaçari, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. 

The move is in response to increasing demand for “high-tech and premium tires” in the country, and Bridgestone’s “important gains in market share in Brazil and South America," the tire maker announced 1 July. 

To begin by the fourth quarter of 2021, the expansion project will increase production capacity by more than 20% and create 420 jobs. 

Once completed, the project will raise production from 3.5 million to 4.3 million tires per year, Bridgestone said.

It will also involve adding new manufacturing technologies and increasing the application of industry 4.0 concepts at the plant. 

“This investment is part of Bridgestone’s mid-term business plan for sustainable growth in Brazil, focused on the premium tires market and production of tires for electric/hybrid vehicles,” said Fabio Fossen, president of Bridgestone Latin America South. 

The move, he said, reinforces Bridgestone’s commitment to the region and the strategic importance of Brazil for the Japanese group. 

Opened in 2006, Bridgestone's plant in Camaçari, Bahia, employs more than 900 employees and produces tires for passenger cars, vans, and pick-up trucks.