Bridgestone Americas Inc. will make race tires at its new production facility in Akron, Ohio. The plant - named the Advanced Tire Production Center - will produce all 25,000 Firestone Firehawk race tires for the NTT IndyCar Series.
Bridgestone has invested more than $21 million into the new, 80,000-square-foot facility, which is located across the street from Bridgestone’s Akron-based tech center.The plant also will manufacture small batches of specialty prototype tires for testing and development in both racing and on-road applications.
It will employ over 60 tire engineers and technicians and will continue adding more jobs as it expands, says Paolo Ferrari, Bridgestone Americas' president and CEO.
“We’ve done this for many years on different platforms,” says Ferrari.
“Now as we explore new motorsports platforms, probably more will come.”
Bridgestone officials add that the facility - which includes both new construction and the refurbishment of an existing structure - is focused on eco-friendly manufacturing. The plant uses “60% less energy” than the company’s previous race tire manufacturing center.
Last November, Bridgestone announced a $6 million investment in construction of a new test track in Akron that will conduct passenger tire evaluations. The track is scheduled to be completed this fall.
