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By John Millar
Posted 10 months ago
BRIDGESTONE ANNOUNCES UP TO €207M INVESTMENT IN ITS BURGOS PLANT
· Bridgestone Burgos will strategically upscale its technological capabilities towards 2030 for increased manufacturing of high-value High Rim Diameter tyres
- The historic investment of up to €207m is one of the largest to date in Europe for Bridgestone
- This move will accelerate Bridgestone’s global goal of becoming carbon neutral (Scope 1 and 2) by 2050, enabling approximately 2,000 tonnes of CO2 to be saved by 2030 compared with current levels
Bridgestone EMEA has announced a historic investment of up to 207 million euros in its Burgos passenger tyre manufacturing site in Spain, one of its largest to date in Europe. The investment aims to raise tyre manufacturing to the highest level of excellence and sustainability.
This ambitious project involves technological innovation plans that will be delivered between now and 2030. This investment reflects a commitment to the production of high-value High Rim Diameter (HRD) tyres (18” and above), with a significant productivity increase of around 20% compared to the current set-up. This increase in manufacturing capacity will help Bridgestone Europe meet customers' demand for premium and high-tech tyres.
The new technology transformation will focus on three axes: automation for higher productivity; increase in vulcanisation capacity; and the creation of an automatic high bay warehouse to increase the stock of newly manufactured tyres which will provide more flexibility in production. By introducing BCMA (Bridgestone Communality Modularity Architecture), the company will also improve agility in its production processes and ensure further simplification for efficiency.
The Burgos manufacturing facility, which has one of the largest production capacities for Bridgestone passenger car tyres globally, will see a 75% increase in its HRD tyre production capacity to more than 7 million premium tyres. In addition, this transformation will see the Burgos plant become one of Bridgestone’s biggest producers of van tyres in Europe.
Emilio Tiberio, West Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Bridgestone West, said: "At Bridgestone, we are moving into a new phase of European and global growth by combining innovation and sustainability at our Burgos facility in Spain. This multi-million-euro investment is aimed at strengthening our premium tyre business by increasing our productivity, logistics autonomy and tyre offering in the high value segments. Furthermore, we are proud to contribute significantly to the economic development of Burgos, Castilla y León and Spain by continuing to strengthen our manufacturing and sustainable footprint in a strategic region for us at the European level”.
