Bridgestone Americas has announced the expansion of warehouses at two of its US passenger and light truck tire manufacturing plants: Aiken County (South Carolina) and Wilson (North Carolina).
With a total investment of approximately US$72m, the warehouse expansion in Aiken will be of 272,000ft2, and the Wilson expansion will be of 288,000ft2. The new facilities are expected to open in 2020.
“These expansions will further strengthen our distribution footprint in the USA and improve our ability to get the right tires to the right place with speed and accuracy,” said Erik Seidel, president, consumer replacement tire sales, US and Canada Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations. “We are committed to being an indispensable business partner to our customers and continue to look for new opportunities across our supply chain to better meet their needs.”
The Aiken County facility has been operated by Bridgestone since 1998, producing passenger and light truck tires for original equipment manufacturers and retail. At the Wilson plant, an expansion in 1999 added 85,000ft2. According to the company, it is the single largest industrial employer in Wilson County.
“With their strategic locations and increased capability, the new warehouses will enable the company to reduce transportation costs and shorten time-to-market to meet customer demands across North America,” said Brad Blizzard, executive director, logistics, Bridgestone Americas.
Quick data
Bridgestone has operated the Wilson plant for 45 years.
The Aiken plant celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018.
The company also operates its Aiken County off-road tire plant in Trenton (South Carolina), producing large- and ultra-large off-the-road radial tires.
