May 24 2006
Bridgestone Corporation has announced that it will build a plant in Mexico to ensure reliable supplies of high-quality carbon black which is in increasingly high demand due to expansion of the company's tire plants worldwide.
The new plant will be operated by Mexico Carbon Manufacturing SA DE CV, a wholly-owned member of the Bridgestone Group established on September 2, 2005. Approximately US$81 million (about ¥8.9 billion) has been earmarked for investment in the new plant, which is scheduled to begin production in June 2008. Annual capacity is expected to be around 35,000 tons. This will be the Bridgestone Group's third carbon black plant, joining facilities in Japan and Thailand.
Expanding in-house production capacity in raw materials for tires and diversified products is a strategic priority in the Bridgestone Group. For example, Bridgestone Group companies are producing synthetic rubber in the United States and as announced late last year, a new synthetic rubber plant is currently under construction in China. Also, Group companies produce steel cord in Japan, the United States, Italy, Thailand and China, and operate natural rubber estates in Indonesia and Liberia. The new carbon black plant in Mexico will strengthen the Bridgestone Group's ability to provide stable supplies of raw materials.
With tire demand expected to continue growing worldwide, the Bridgestone Group intends to enhance and strengthen its production-distribution system in a well-planned and strategic manner to meet market demands.
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