Bridgestone invests US$ 250 million in the country
Folha de S. Paulo 09/28/10
In an effort to benefit from the growth foreseen for the Brazilian market of cars and trucks, the Japanese manufacturer Bridgestone will invest US$ 250 million (R$ 428 million) in the increase of the production of its two plants in the country. According to Humberto Gomez, President of the Brazilian and Latin operations, investments will be made until 2014 for the purchase of machines, adoption of new technologies and increase of the productive capacity.Today, the two plants of the company in the country, one in Santo André, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, and another in Camaçari, in Bahia, will produce, together, 40 thousand tires a day. "We will increase the productive capacity by 30%", says Gomez. The focus is the manufacture of tires for trucks, agricultural machines and high performance cars. Currently, 75% of the earnings, of US$ 900 million (R$ 1.5 billion) in 2009, originate in the domestic market. The intention is to increase the participation of the local sales to 85%.
Today, the countries of South America and the USA are the main international destinations. Together with the increase of the production, Bridgestone will increase the chain of car tire retailers, which is currently of 500 stores. "The centers dedicated to sales and services for heavy vehicles, which amount to 118 stores today, should become three times greater in the period", he says.
The investments also reflect the relevance Brazil is gaining in view of the global operations. The first initiative in that regard was taken with the transfer of the Regional Office from the USA to São Paulo. Last year, it earned US$ 28 billion worldwide, a 19% fall compared to 2008. The Americas were responsible for 43% of the sales, followed by Japan and Europe. Worldwide, the company has nearly 16% of market share.
Such a share is similar to the Brazilian market, where it ranks third, behind Pirelli and Goodyear. Bridgestone expects to grow 40% in earnings in the country, reaching US$ 1.25 billion in the year. The company, which in 2010 ceased being a supplier of tires for the Formula 1 teams, will also distribute its resources, previously intended for the competition - nearly US$ 100 million a year - among its subsidiaries worldwide.