Bridgestone Corporation

Summary

Covers Bridgestone exhibition participation, products, technologies, and major customers. Offers exclusive information available only on MarkLines to support research and analysis in the automotive industry.

Company Profile

■URL

https://www.bridgestone.com/

■Address

1-1,Kyobashi 3-chome,Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-8340, Japan

Business Overview

-Along with Goodyear and Michelin, the Company is one of the three major tire manufacturers in the world. The Company had a 13.3% market share of tires worldwide in 2023.

-Overseas production accounted for 70% of the company's global tire production tonnage in 2024.

Mid-term business plan (target for FY 2026)

Operating income target: JPY 640 billion (1.3 times the FY 2023 level）
ROIC target: 10% (Profitability target: ROIC 5.5% with zero businesses not achieving the target）
Premium tire sales: 1.4 times the FY 2023 level
Overseas measures: [China] Withdrawal from truck and bus tire business. [EU] Reduction of unprofitable products, strengthening retail business restructuring.
(Detailed news)

-The main manufacturing subsidiaries and controlled companies by region are as follows:

Region	Major companies
Japan	Management, manufacturing, and sales		Bridgestone
Americas	Management	USA	Bridgestone Americas, Inc.
	Manufacture and sale of tires	USA	Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC Bridgestone Bandag, LLC
		Canada	Bridgestone Canada Inc.
		Mexico	Bridgestone de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
		Brazil	Bridgestone do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda.
		Argentina	Bridgestone Argentina S.A.I.C.
Europe, Russia, Middle East, Africa	Management and sales	Belgium	Bridgestone Europe NV/SA
	Manufacture and sale of tires	Poland	Bridgestone Poznan Sp. Z.O.O. Bridgestone STARGARD Sp. Z.O.O.
		Spain	Bridgestone Hispania Manufacturing S.L.U.
		South Africa	Bridgestone South Africa (PTY) Ltd.
Asia, Oceania, India, China	Supervision and sales	Singapore	Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
	Supervision and sales	China	Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd.
	Manufacture and sale of tires	China	Bridgestone (Wuxi) Tire Co., Ltd.
		India	Bridgestone India Private Ltd.
		Thailand	Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd. Bridgestone Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
		Indonesia	P.T. Bridgestone Tire Indonesia

Shareholders

-Listed on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and on the Fukuoka Stock Exchange.

(As of Dec. 31, 2024)

Name or Company name	Investment Ratio (%)
The Master Trust Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account)	14.50
Ishibashi Foundation	11.20
Custody Bank of Japan, Ltd. (Trust Account)	5.63
Individual shareholder	3.07
Nagasaka Sangyo	2.38
SMBC Nikko Securities	2.11
Nippon Life Insurance Company	1.93
STATE STREET BANK WEST CLIENT - TREATY 505234	1.92
Barclays Securities Japan Limited. BNYM	1.61
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY 505001	1.49
Total	45.84

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Products

Tires
-Various tires, tubes and aluminum wheels for cars
-Various tires, tubes and aluminum wheels for trucks and buses
-Various tires, tubes and aluminum wheels for light trucks
-Automotive accessories

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History

Mar. 1931	Established the Company as Bridgestone Tire Corporation in Kurume, Fukuoka and started production of automotive tires
Oct. 1935	Started production of golf balls
Apr. 1937	Started production of anti-vibration rubber
May, 1937	Moved headquarters to Tokyo
Sep. 1937	Started production of belts and hoses
Feb. 1942	Changed the Company name to Japan Tire Corporation
Oct. 1949	Spun off bicycle business and established Bridgestone Bicycle Co., Ltd. (currently Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd.)
Feb. 1951	Changed the Company name back to Bridgestone Tire Corporation
Aug. 1959	Started production of polyurethane foam (Everlight)
Oct. 1961	Listed on Tokyo and Osaka Stock Exchanges
May, 1965	Established a joint venture, Bridgestone Imperial Eastman Corporation (currently Bridgestone Flowtech Corporation)
June, 1967	Established Thai Japan Tire Co., Ltd. (currently Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd.), a joint venture in Thailand
Feb. 1970	Established a joint venture, Bridgestone Kurebeit (currently Bridgestone Elastic Corporation)
Sep. 1972	Established a joint venture, Bridgestone Spalding Co., Ltd. (currently Bridgestone Sports Co.,　Ltd.)
Sep. 1973	Established a joint venture in India, P.T. Bridgestone Tire Indonesia.
Oct. 1980	Invested capital in a rubber company based in China. The company later became Bridgestone Taiwan Co., Ltd.
Dec. 1980	Acquired shares in Uniroyal Holdings Ltd. in Australia （currently Bridgestone Australia Ltd.
Nov. 1982	Established Bridgestone Tire Manufacturing (U.S.A.), Inc. in USA (merged with Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. in May 1990)
Apr. 1984	Changed the Company name to Bridgestone Corporation
Jan. 1988	Established Bridgestone Finance Europe B.V. in the Netherlands
May, 1988	Acquired the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. （Currently Bridgestone/Firestone Inc.）
Nov. 1988	Invested capital in Assa Lastik Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.Sizmit Factory in Turkey. (currently Brisa Bridegstone Sabanci Lastik Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S.）
Jan. 1989	Established Bridgestone Finance Corporation.
Jan. 1993	Integrated sporting goods business into Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd.
Dec. 1994	Integrated sale/distribution of tires and management in Europe into Bridgestone /Firestone Europe S.A.
Dec. 1994	Established BMAH Corp. in the USA.
Jan. 1997	Acquired Fedstone (PTY) Ltd. (currently Bridgestone/Firestone South Africa Holdings (PTY) Ltd.)
May, 1988	Acquired The Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. (currently Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc.)
Jan. 2000	Set up a new plant, Bridgestone/Firestone Poland Ltd. Liability Company in Poland and started production. The first production facility in Eastern Europe
Jan. 2000	Acquired Tianjin Jinhu Tire Co., Ltd. in China from Kumuho Virgin Island in Korea. Purchased for 7.9 billion yen all the shares held by Kumuho (94.5%). The Company's second production facility in China and forty-sixth in the world
Feb. 2000	Tied up with PAULSTRA of Group totaltina in France. Entered into joint development of anti-vibration automotive rubber and a mutual production contract. The two companies together hold 15% share of the global market. Established global supply system for automotive manufacturers in Japan, USA, Europe and Asia
Feb. 2000	Founded Iwata Seisakusho and entered into new business areas of clean energy and IT, including high performance-film, precision rubber and plastic products.
July. 2000	Started development of suspension-related modular systems jointly with Akebono and Kayaba. Bridgestone covers tires and anti-vibration rubber, Akebono brakes and Kayaba shock absorbers. Aiming to be a supplier, which can make proposals, has the capability for comprehensive development, and can cope with modularization based on joint technical communication.
Nov. 2000	Founded a new technical center. As the center of the Company's global R&D, it communicates closely with affiliates in the USA and Europe, as well as testing facilities worldwide
Mar. 2001	As part of the Company's 70th anniversary, opened "Bridgestone Today," a museum for tires and rubber.
Dec. 2001	Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc is a regional headquarters in the US. The company reorganized its corporate structure by spinning off operation by business under Bridgestone/irestone Americas Holdings, Inc.
Oct. 2004	Established Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd., in China.
May 2007	Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. acquired Bridgestone Bandag, LLC.
2008	Concluded a memorandum of agreement with Toyo Rubber Company, Ltd. to form a business and capital partnership.
2009	Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH) was changed to Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM).
May 2016	Bridgestone Americas sold Bridgestone Firestone Venezolana (BFVZ), a tire-production subsidiary, to the Corimon Group.
May 2017	Bridgestone Europe NV/SA acquired French tire chain Ayme group.
Apr. 2019	Bridgestone Europe acquires TomTom Telematics (now Webfleet Solutions).
Sep. 2021	Bridgestone Americas Inc. acquired Azuga Holdings, Inc.
Dec. 2021	Sold all of the stock shares held in Bridgestone (Huizhou) Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd. (BSRC), which is a Group company that manufactures and sells tires for passenger cars, to LCY Chemical Corporation (LCY).
Dec. 2021	Consolidated the operations of both Bridgestone (Shenyang) Tire Co., Ltd (BSSY) and Bridgestone (Huizhou) Tire Co., Ltd (BSHZ) all into BSSY.
Aug. 2022	Spun off the chemical solutions business.
Sep. 2022	Completed the transfer of the anti-vibration rubber business.
Dec. 2023	Bridgestone Europe NV/SA Completes sales of Russian Assets to S8 Capital