History Of Bridgestone
Posted on April 7, 2010
Filed Under Bridgestone Tires, Interesting
There are few companies in the world whose founders at the beginning of their activity set the goal as clearly as the founder of the Bridgestone company. Before the founding of the company he already was a successful businessman. In 1925 Shojiro Ishibashi organized the production of Tabi, Japanese national shoes. Rapid development of the country’s economy urged him to start research of the tire market and in 1930 the first Bridgestone tire was made. Soon Ishibashi understood that his dream was to become the first tire manufacturer in Japan. So, in 1931 Bridgestone company appeared. Shojiro linked his company with the English variation of his name (Ishibashi is translated as “stone bridge” - Bridgestone). From the very beginning of his activity Shojiro was prepared for the international activity.
At the beginning of the 50ies the company developed rapidly. Its headquarters was transferred to Tokyo and in 1953 the sales reached 10 billion yen a year what made Bridgestone the largest Japanese tire manufacturer.
In 1962 the company designed first radial truck tires, in 1964 – first radial tires for passenger cars. Rapid development of the automobile industry inspired Bridgestone and the company started expansion to the international market. A factory was opened in Malaysia. It was the first factory opened abroad since WWII. In 1967 a subsidiary company was opened in the United States. Bridgestone’s campaign for the rise of quality and production volumes helped the company win prestigious Deming Prize in 1968.
In 1976 Shojiro Ishibashi died but his company continued to develop enhancing its influence on the market and advancing new kinds of activity. In 1979 the first series of aluminum wheels was launched and the technology on the processing of old tires into fuel for furnaces was adopted.
The 80ies began for Bridgestone with the epochal event – celebration of the company’s 50ieth anniversary but it was only the beginning of a series of victories such as the development of revolutionary technologies and purchase of other companies.
The extension began with the opening of the first Bridgestone’s tire and wheel retail shop abroad. The enhancement of the company’s positions on the global market continued with the purchase of production facilities in Tennessee from Firestone. In 1988 the whole Firestone company, the second largest tire company in America, was bought by Bridgestone for 2,6 billion dollars. It meant that Bridgestone acquired a status of truly global corporation.
European Firestone office was opened in Belgium in 1989. Both offices – Bridgestone and Firestone – are located in the same building in Brussels. Despite this, companies preserved their authentic names.
Bridgestone was successful not only in business. The technological breakthrough carried out by the company’s specialists made a revolution in the tire industry. In 1982 Bridgestone presented the first Japanese studless winter tire and five years later the tire got a special microporous rubber compound. It was the time when two Bridgestone’s revolutionary technologies appeared: rolling optimization theory and theory of load distribution for truck tires. In 1986 Bridgestone RE71 was used by the Porsche company for the original equipment of exclusive version of Porsche 959 – the fastest serial car of that time.
In 2001 Bridgestone was recognized by the world car manufacturers as the leading company on the production of run-flat tires. It was Potenza RE040 RFT tire. As a result BMW and Lexus began to use the tire for the original equipment of their most prestigious sport models Z8 and SC430.
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