is a Japanese multinational tire and rubber manufacturing company based in Kyōbashi, Tokyo. Founded in 1931 by Shōjirō Ishibashi in Kurume, it primarily manufactures tires, as well as golf equipment. In addition to automotive tires, the company produces tires for bicycles, motorcycles, and airplanes. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of the founder's surname, meaning 'stone bridge' in Japanese.
Bridgestone purchased the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1988 and has supplied tires for motersport events including Formula One, Le Mans, and Grand Prix motorcycle racing, among others. Bridgestone was also the official tire of the Olympic games until 2024. In add
In 2011, the company was charged with bribery and bid rigging in Latin America, and in 2014, was fined $425 million for price fixing and bid rigging by the United States Department of Justice.
The company has been the world's second-largest tire manufacturer by annual revenue since 2021. As of July 2018, Bridgestone Group has 181 production facilities in 24 countries.
History Origins The Bridgestone Tire Company, Ltd. was founded on 1 March 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi in Japan. The first Bridgestone tire was produced on 9 April 1930, by the Japanese "Tabi" Socks Tire Division (which actually made jika-tabi). One year later, the Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd was established in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. The name Bridgestone comes from the name of the founder, Shojiro Ishibashi (; ).
Foregoing dependence on European and North American technology, the company set its sights on manufacturing tires based largely on Japanese technology. The fledgling company experienced many difficulties in technology, production, and sales in its early days. Eventually, improvements in quality and manufacturing processes led to the business rapidly expanding in domestic and overseas markets.
Challenges during and after World War II Wartime regulations were in effect throughout Japan during World War II, and tires came under the jurisdiction of these regulations. This resulted in nearly all of the company's output being used to satisfy military demand. Although 1945 saw the end of armed conflict, the company was devastated by the war. The Tokyo headquarters was destroyed during an aerial bombing raid, and all overseas assets were lost. The plants in Kurume and Yokohama escaped unscathed, and production was able to resume immediately after the war ended. Brushing aside the problems caused by a labour union strike that lasted for 46 days, the foundations of the company were further reinforced after this.
After the war, the company started making bicycles, leading to the formation of the Bridgestone Cycle Company in 1949. In 1952, the first complete powered bicycles were produced with a 26cc engine. The first 50cc Bridgestone motorcycles were manufactured in 1958. However, the company's main income came from supplying tires to its rival motorcycle makers, such as Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha. Bridgestone later decided to cease motorcycle manufacturing.
In 1952, Ishibashi founded the Bridgestone Museum of Art, locating it at 10 Kyobashi 1chome, Chuoku, Tokyo 104, which also served as the Bridgestone Corporation's company headquarters.
Technological innovation
In 1951, Bridgestone was the first company in Japan to begin selling rayon cord tires, and a five-year project to modernize production facilities was started. This year also saw another Bridgestone building opened in Kyōbashi, Tokyo, which contained the Bridgestone Museum. Sales surpassed ten billion yen in 1953, placing Bridgestone at the top of the tire industry in Japan, and celebrations were held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the company's foundation in Kurume.
The sale of nylon tires began in 1959 and a new Tokyo plant opened in 1960 to cope with the rapidly expanding market for motorization.
Radial tires and overseas expansion
The company went public and was listed on the stock exchange in 1961. A new administration system was introduced, with Shojiro Ishibashi serving as chairman and Kanichiro Ishibashi as president. As part of this administrative reform, the company adopted total quality control activities under the Deming Plan, named in honor of W. Edwards Deming. This led to Bridgestone winning the Deming Prize in 1968. The Tokyo plant was expanded in 1962 to house a new Technical Centre and establish a progressive research and development system. On the product front, the company sold its first-ever radial tire, the RD10, in 1967.
Bridgestone opened its first postwar overseas plant in Singapore in 1965 and commenced production in Thailand in 1969. The 1960s marked an era of global expansion for Bridgestone, which included establishing Bridgestone Americas in 1967 to serve as its U.S. sales representative branch.
At the start of Japan's economic stagnation, brought about by the first oil shock, the company focused on developing its own technology for manufacturing radial tires while also constructing and equipping further domestic plants. It launched the Super Filler Radial in 1978, followed by the high-performance Potenza radial tire in 1979, named after the Italian word for power.
The company was actively engaged in overseas expansion activities at this time. In addition to starting production in Indonesia and Iran in 1976, it invested in a Taiwanese tire manufacturer and purchased both a tire plant and a diversified products plant in Australia in 1980. The founder, Shojiro Ishibashi, died on 11 September 1976.
On 1 March 1981, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. Simultaneously, it initiated efforts to strengthen the home base supporting its global expansion strategy, aiming to rank among the world's top three rubber manufacturers. New production facilities were also established in countries including Thailand, India, Poland, China, and the United States. The company changed its name from Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd. to Bridgestone Corporation in 1984.
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company purchase
In 1988, Bridgestone purchased the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio. By placing considerable financial and personnel resources into rebuilding the company, Bridgestone achieved surplus annual profits in 1992 with Bridgestone Firestone Europe and again in 1993 with Bridgestone Firestone USA. The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd. USA were amalgamated in 1990 to become Bridgestone Firestone North American Holdings Ltd. The North American subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation is now named Bridgestone Americas, Inc., and its tire division is Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC.
In April 2012, Bridgestone Americas opened up its new Bridgestone Americas Technical Center in Akron. The $100 million facility, located just down the street from the former headquarters, houses 450 employees.
In June 2022, Bridgestone opened up its $21 million Advanced Tire Production Center, replacing the Firestone Advanced Tire Works Plant at the original 1910 headquarters. The new building produces racing tires for the NTT IndyCar Series and manufactures all Firestone Firehawk racing tires. It is the first new tire plant in Akron in more than 70 years. Bridgestone also opened a $6 million passenger tire test track adjacent to the facility in Autumn 2022. Bridgestone has invested more than $125 million in its Akron operations since 2012.
Bridgestone's global locations Bridgestone has major manufacturing plants in many countries around the world. As of 1 April 2011, Bridgestone has 47 tire plants, 29 tire-related plants, 19 raw materials plants, 89 diversified product plants, 4 technical centers, and 11 proving grounds globally.
Some of the major plants are located in:
Asia/Oceania Europe Americas Middle East/Africa Australia Belgium Argentina South Africa China France Brazil Cameroon (from 2020) India Hungary Canada Kenya (from 2023) Indonesia Italy Colombia Japan Poland Costa Rica New Zealand Portugal Mexico Pakistan Spain United States Thailand Turkey Venezuela Estonia (from 2024) Bolivia (from 2027) Vietnam Puerto Rico (from 2025) Myanmar (from 2021) South Korea (from 2022) Philippines In January 2026, it was announced that Bridgestone had agreed to sell its tyre reinforcement business in China and Thailand to Bekaert for €60 million. The sale forms part of Bridgestone’s strategy to enhance competitiveness and includes a long-term tyre cord supply agreement.
Australia Bridgestone Australia is headquartered in Eastwood, an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
Beginning as the SA Rubber Mills in 1939, Bridgestone took over the Australian plants which were at that time operated by the Uniroyal Tyre Company in 1980. Bridgestone Australia had a major manufacturing tire factory in Australia: located in Salisbury, a northern suburb of Adelaide (this plant was eventually decommissioned in April 2011). Bridgestone has State Offices in all states of Australia, and has a large number of retail outlets across the country.
In 2000 Bridgestone Australia Ltd. purchased the BANDAG Retreading plant and its operations in Australia. Bandag Manufacturing Pty Limited has 35 franchised dealers across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Nouméa. Bandag Manufacturing Pty Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Australia Limited, and operates under license to Bandag Incorporated. In 2006 Bridgestone purchased Bandag Incorporated, which is now a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation.
From the purchase in 1981, the Australian operations of Bridgestone have been run as a publicly listed company on the Australian Stock exchange. Bridgestone Corporation has maintained a majority share holding. As of mid-2007 the Australian operation was delisted from the Australian Stock exchange and became a solely owned Division of Bridgestone Corporation (pending minority shareholder approval as per Australian Corporate Law).
Following the cancellation on Friday, 11 May 2007, of all shares held by minority shareholders, Bridgestone Australia Ltd. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation of Japan. The selective capital reduction and subsequent privatisation which cost $49 million was approved and completed. Bridgestone Australia Ltd. was delisted from the ASX on 30 May 2007.
Europe Bridgestone EU has its head office in Brussels, Belgium, and was set up in 1990 as Bridgestone/Firestone Europe SA. Before that, a representative office in Belgium set up in 1972 and sales subsidiary companies and importers in each countries were selling products imported from Japan. There are 7 production plants in the region and a 32 hectare research and development centre near Rome, Italy. The company distributes more than 25 million tires a year through 17 national sales subsidiaries and 2 distributors. They directly employ over 12,000 people with Mr. Tsuda as CEO.
At present there are national headquarters in the following locations: Vienna, Austria; Prague, Czech Republic; Hinnerup, Denmark; Vantaa, Finland; Fresnes, France; Bad Homburg, Germany; Athens, Greece; Budapest, Hungary; Dublin, Ireland; Milan, Italy; Moerdijk, Netherlands; Oslo, Norway; Warsaw, Poland; Alcochete, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Sundsvall, Sweden; Spreitenbach, Switzerland; İstanbul, Turkiye (Manufacturing in Kocaeli) and Warwick, UK.
Bridgestone EU runs a continent-wide scheme called Truckpoint wherein fleets can take their vehicles to any Bridgestone approved garage throughout Europe and get Bridgestone specialist work carried out on their tires.
There are no Bridgestone factories in the United Kingdom but there is a technical bay at which tyres returned by dissatisfied customers are inspected in Coventry.
The plant at Ulyanovsk, Russia and the marketing office in Moscow were sold in December 2023 as Bridgestone withdrew from the Russian market, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.