Bridgestone Corporation (株式会社ブリヂストン) 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. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of the founder's surname, meaning 'stone bridge' in Japanese.
The company has been the world's second-largest tire manufacturer by annual revenue since 2021.[3] As of July 2018, Bridgestone Group has 181 production facilities in 24 countries.
History
Origins
The history of the Bridgestone Tire Company, Ltd., founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi in Japan.[4] 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 on 1 March 1931, the founder, Shojiro Ishibashi, made the "Tabi" Socks Tire Division independent and established the Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd.[4] in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. "Bridgestone" was named after the name of the founder, Shojiro Ishibashi (石橋; lit. 'stone bridge').[5]
Foregoing dependence on European and North American technology, the Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd. set its eyes on manufacturing tires based largely on Japanese technology. The fledgling company experienced many difficulties in the areas of technology, production, and sales in the early days. Eventually, improvements were achieved in quality and manufacturing processes which 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 also came under the jurisdiction of these regulations. This resulted in nearly all of the company's output being used to satisfy military demand. 1945 saw the end of armed conflict, but 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, with the Bridgestone Cycle Company being formed in 1949. From 1952 the first complete powered bicycles were produced, with a 26cc engine. In 1958 the first 50cc Bridgestone motorcycles were manufactured, but the company's main income was from supplying tires to its rival motorcycle makers such as Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha and it was later decided to cease motorcycle manufacturing.[6]
In 1952, Ishibashi founded the Bridgestone Museum of Art and located it at 10 Kyobashi 1–chome, Chuo–ku, Tokyo 104; Bridgestone Corporation's company headquarters.[7]
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 was started in 1959, and work forged ahead with the construction of the new Tokyo plant, which was opened in 1960, in order to cope with the fast-expanding market for motorization.
Radial tires and overseas expansion
The company issued stock shares and was listed on the stock exchange in 1961. A new system of administration was ushered in by Shojiro Ishibashi as the chairman, and Kanichiro Ishibashi as the president. As part of the transition across to administrative reform, the Deming Plan in honor of W. Edwards Deming, which involves overall quality control activities, was adopted, and the company was awarded the prestigious Deming Prize in 1968.[8] Also, additions were built onto the Tokyo plant in 1962 to house the new Technical Centre, and a progressive system of research and development was established. On the product front, 1967 saw the sale of the company's first ever radial tire, the RD10.
Bridgestone's first overseas plant since the end of the war was opened in Singapore in 1965, and production was also commenced in Thailand in 1969. The 1960s for Bridgestone was an era of overseas expansion that also included the establishment of Bridgestone Americas in the United States in 1967 to act as Bridgestone's USA representative sales branch.
At the start of the period of Japan's economic stagnation, brought about by the first oil shock, the company was placing even more emphasis on establishing its own technology for the manufacture of radial tires, and it was also at this time that further domestic plants were constructed and fitted out. Its Super Filler Radial was placed on the market in 1978, and in 1979 the company introduced the high-performance POTENZA radial tire, from an Italian word for power.
The company was actively engaged in overseas expansion activities at this time. In addition to starting up production in Indonesia and Iran in 1976, it also invested in a Taiwan tire manufacturer and purchased a tire plant and a plant for diversified products in Australia in 1980.
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company purchase
In 1988, Bridgestone purchased the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio. Placing considerable financial and personnel resources into rebuilding Firestone after the purchase, Bridgestone achieved surplus annual profits for the year 1992 with BFE (Bridgestone Firestone Europe) and again in 1993 with BFS (Bridgestone Firestone USA). The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd. USA were amalgamated in 1990 and became "Bridgestone Firestone North American Holdings Ltd". The North American subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation is now named Bridgestone Americas, Inc. The 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, tire plant, and technical center, houses 450 employees whose jobs are to develop innovative and advanced tire technologies for the company.[9]
In June 2022, Bridgestone opened up its $21 million Advanced Tire Production Center which replaced the Firestone Advance Tire Works Plant at the original Firestone Tire and Rubber Company headquarters which opened in 1910. The new building is home of the company's racing tire production for the NTT IndyCar Series. The plant manufactures all Firestone Firehawk racing tires. It is the first new tire plant in the city of Akron in more than 70 years. Bridgestone also opened up a $6 million test track adjacent to the Advanced Tire Production Center to support passenger tire testing and development. The test track opened in autumn 2022. Bridgestone has invested more than $125 million in its Akron operations since 2012, when the company opened the Bridgestone Americas Technology Center.
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.[12]
Some of the major plants are located in:
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.[13]
Australia
Bridgestone Australia is headquartered in Eastwood, an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.[14]
Sports sponsorships
Formula racing
Bridgestone started to invest in motorsport in the 1980s by developing race tires for feeder series like Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Ford, Formula Opel Lotus and karting.
In order to increase the Firestone subsidiary's brand awareness, Bridgestone Firestone NAH Ltd, re-entered the Firestone brand into CART open-wheel racing in 1995 to challenge Goodyear. The tires proved better and Goodyear left the series for 2000. Since then, Firestone has been the single tire provider for the successor Champ Car World Series, the IndyCar Series and its feeder series Indy NXT.
Bridgestone used to supply tires in Formula One starting and ended 2010 Formula One season, although the company one-off produced Formula One tires at the 1976 and 1977 Japanese Grand Prix for Japanese entrants such as Kazuyoshi Hoshino's Heros Racing and Kojima.
The Japanese company decided to supply tires for Formula One in 1995, backed up by the CEO Yoichiro Kaizaki, aiming to improve Bridgestone's name value in the European market which was greatly inferior compared with their archrivals,
Diversified products
The predecessors of Bridgestone began making diversified products[31] in the 1930s, soon after they started making tires. Today, Bridgestone diversified operations encompass automotive components, industrial products, polyurethane foam products, construction materials, parts and materials for electronic equipment, bicycles and sporting goods. Diversified business generates about one-fourth of total sales in the Bridgestone Group.
Automotive parts are an especially large line of business for Bridgestone in diversified operations. Bridgestone supplies automakers with vibration-isolating components, such as engine mounts. Bridgestone also supplies air springs for trucks, automobiles and train carriages. Bridgestone market aluminium wheels and other automotive accessories, too.
Industrial products
Bridgestone's industrial products span a vast range, including polyurethane foam for automotive seats and interiors, for bedding and furniture and for insulation and sealing in appliances and buildings; water hoses; marine hoses for loading and unloading oil tankers; specialty precision hose products, such as wire-blade hose for construction equipment and machine tools; conveyor belts; and rubber tracks for crawler tractors. Additionally, they make retreaded tires for aircraft. Their corporate headquarters for the Bridgestone Aircraft tire division is located in Miami, Florida.
The Bridgestone product line in construction and civil engineering materials is similarly broad.
Bridgestone e-Reporter
Bridgestone e-reporter is a pan-European competition for aspiring young sports journalists, open to all students aged 18–30, who are in full-time education.
Now in its fifth year, Bridgestone e-reporter[51] continues to provide emerging writers with the opportunity to gain first hand experience by interviewing GP2 drivers and reporting on European GP2 race weekend.
The 2008 competition was officially launched on 1 February 2008 with the deadline for entries at 12.00 GMT on 31 March 2008. As of 2009, Bridgestone has not held further editions of the e-Reporter competition. However it may return in a different form in the future.
Bridgestone was the sole tire supplier for the GP2 series, an open-wheeled racing championship that is widely regarded as the feeder series for Formula One.
Controversies
After Bridgestone purchased Firestone in 1988, cost cutting measures led to tread separations in tires manufactured in Firestone plants in the 1990s.[52]
In 2008, Bridgestone ran an advert during the Super Bowl XLII showing a car driver avoiding several hazards while driving at night, including threatening to run down Richard Simmons, who was embodying a homophobic sissy stereotype, with Ad Age's critic Bob Garfield describing the advert as "grounded in homophobia".[53][54]
In September 2011, Bridgestone pleaded guilty to bribing Latin American officials and bid rigging, and agreed to pay a $28 million fine to resolve criminal charges.[55]
In February 2014 Bridgestone agreed to a $425 million fine imposed by the United States Department of Justice for price fixing and bid rigging in the automotive parts industry.
See also
- Bridgestone Arena
- Bridgestone Golf
- Bridgestone Picnica
- Bridgestone Tower
External links
- Bridgestone Corporation English homepage
- Bridgestone Motorsport English homepage
- News | Bridgestone
- Bridgestone Bicycles Official site
- — Wiki collection of bibliographic works on Bridgestone.
References
- Management Policy : Message from Global CEO retrieved 2024-01-10^
- Bridgestone Corporation Full Year 2021 Consolidated Financial Report bridgestone.com, 31 December 2021, retrieved 5 May 2022^
- The World's Leading Tyre Manufacturers Tyrepress, retrieved 16 September 2025