Bridgestone Americas Inc. will close its TBR tire plant in LaVerge, Tenn., on July 31, 2025.
The decision to shutter the plant “is part of the company’s strategic initiatives to optimize its business footprint, strengthen its competitiveness and enhance the quality of the company’s U.S. operations,” said Bridgestone in a Jan. 23 statement.
“While adapting to the challenges of the business environment as Bridgestone continues to strengthen its core premium tire business and sustainably create social and customer value, further optimization of its business footprint and costs become increasingly essential. Therefore, the decision to close the LaVergne plant has been made.”
The closing of the LaVergne plant will impact 700 employees.
According to MTD’s newly released 2025 Facts Issue, Bridgestone’s LaVergne plant, which opened in 1972, has the capacity to build 3,100 TBR tires per day.
It’s one of two Bridgestone TBR tire plants in the United States. The other, Bridgestone’s plant in Warren County, Tenn., can produce 9,400 TBR tires per day at full throttle, according to MTD research.
Bridgestone also has announced that it will reduce capacity and workforce at its ag tire plant in Des Moines, Iowa, and will make “workforce reductions” at its headquarters in Nashville, Tenn.
“Decisions like this are not easy because of the impact it has on our teammates and their families, and at the same time we are optimizing our business footprint for the future,” says Scott Damon, CEO of Bridgestone West and group president, Bridgestone Americas.
“We are confident that this decision will strengthen our core business, enabling us to operate more efficiently.”
Bridgestone officials add that “by continuously optimizing the business footprint and costs, Bridgestone is strengthening its competitiveness and focusing on value creation. This approach further enhances the company’s commitment to contribute to the U.S. society, the economy and mobility of people and goods throughout the nation in the long term.
“Additionally, the company is undertaking business rebuilding activities in its Latin America operations, which include cost optimization efforts along with reductions in workforce and production capacity at its facilities and business operations in Argentina and Brazil.
"These strategic initiatives of the business footprint and cost optimization are part of the ‘business rebuilding 2nd stage from 2024 to 2025 outlined in (parent company Bridgestone Corp.’s) Mid Term Business Plan (2024-2026).”
