Bridgestone expands Tennessee tire plant
Bridgestone Americas will expand and modernize its Warren County, Tennessee, Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) Tire Plant located in Morrison. The $550 million investment will add 380 new jobs and expand the plant’s existing footprint by 850,000-sq.-ft. to support increased capacity and accelerate the use of advanced technologies that support cleaner, safer, and more efficient commercial truck and bus fleets.
The addition of these new jobs will bring the total number of the company’s manufacturing workforce in the U.S. to nearly 10,000. The investment will also allow for all tires made in Warren to be equipped with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that enable more efficient asset management and optimization of fleets’ investments in tires, including retreading.
The plant will incorporate technology for digital readiness in tires, such as their recent collaboration with Microsoft for advanced tire analytics, including the integration of tire-mounted sensors that support advanced, data-driven insights for more efficient fleet management. Bridgestone will also invest in AI control technology that increases productivity and the application of knowledge and data in a digital manufacturing environment. These technologies combined will help accelerate the company’s progress toward its sustainability goals, including carbon neutrality by 2050.
“With new investment and new jobs, we are moving our Warren County Plant forward, driven by growing demand for our products, our commitment to investing in U.S. manufacturing, and our Warren team’s dedication to innovation, efficiency and quality for our customers,” said Paolo Ferrari, president and CEO, Bridgestone Americas.
The expansion of the 32-year-old facility is expected to begin before the end of this year, with construction expected to be substantially completed by May 2024. Employment will grow from 1,100 to more than 1,400 teammates and the plant’s footprint will grow from 1.97 million to more than 2.8 million square feet.
The Warren County Tire Plant is one of the company’s most productive operations globally. The facility shipped its one millionth tire in 1993, only three years after it opened. That same year, the plant produced nearly 2,500 tires per day. The plant produced its 70 millionth tire in October 2021.
“Our production and manufacturing capabilities continue to evolve with our products to meet the needs of our customers,” said Scott Damon, chief operating officer, Bridgestone Americas. “This investment will further improve the plant’s global competitive position and secure our future growth.”
