October 25, 2019
Bridgestone Americas Inc. announced plans Friday to spend approximately $75 million to expand warehouse facilities at passenger and light truck tire manufacturing plants in Aiken County and Wilson, North Carolina.
Increasing warehouse space will improve Bridgestone’s ability to serve North American tire dealers and customers, according to a press release.
The warehouse expansion in Aiken County will be 272,000 square feet, and the expansion in Wilson will be 288,000 square feet.
The new facilities are expected to open in 2020.
“With their strategic locations and increased capability, the new warehouses will enable the company to reduce transportation costs and shorten ‘time-to-market’ to meet customer demands across North America,” said Brad Blizzard, executive director, logistics, for Bridgestone Americas, in a prepared statement.
Said another company executive, Erik Seidel, also in a prepared statement: “These expansions will further strengthen our distribution footprint in the U.S. and improve our ability to get the right tires to the right place with speed and accuracy. We are committed to being an indispensable business partner to our customers and continue to look for new opportunities across our supply chain to better meet their needs.”
Seidel is the president, consumer replacement tire sales, U.S. and Canada, for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations.
Bridgestone has operated the Aiken County plant in the Graniteville area since 1998, producing passenger and light truck tires for original equipment manufacturers and retailers.
The plant celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018.
Bridgestone also has an Aiken County Off-Road Tire Plant in the Trenton area, which produces large and ultra-large off-the-road radial tires.
The Wilson plant has a 45-year history and is the single largest industrial employer in Wilson County.