Firestone to sponsor Miami race

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on May 22, 2009 at 1:00 am

The Nashville-based company, which is the official tire supplier to the IndyCar Series, will sponsor the series’ season-ending race at Miami-Homestead Speedway. The company had its name on its hometown race from 2002 to last year.

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Tags: advertising and marketing, auto racing, automotive suppliers, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, Florida, Indy Racing League LLC, Miami-Homestead Speedway, sponsorships, sports business  

Bridgestone sheds in Ohio, adds in Costa Rica

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on May 1, 2009 at 11:26 am

The Nashville-based tire maker has cut 50 jobs at an Illinois plant where it laid off another 67 earlier this year. In Costa Rica, meanwhile, the company has opened an $8 million factory that will employ 100 and replace a facility in Indianapolis.

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Tags: automotive suppliers, Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, Costa Rica, Illinois, Indiana, Indianapolis, international trade, manufacturing  

Bridgestone, Macy’s layoffs — by the numbers

By E. Thomas Wood Posted on February 23, 2009 at 9:28 am

This week’s Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development listing of large-scale layoff notices puts a hard number to a couple of previously announced cuts.

The total toll at La Vergne’s Bridgestone tire plant: 802 employees to be affected between December 2008 and June 2009. That’s more than half the total workforce.

And at the Bellevue Mall Macy’s, slated for closure in March: 95 jobs to be lost.

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Tags: automotive industry, automotive suppliers, Bellevue, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, employment, La Vergne, layoffs, Macy's Inc., manufacturing, retail, retail real estate  

Bridgestone to sack more employees

By Kleinheider Posted on January 22, 2009 at 1:25 pm

From WSMV:

Bridgestone announces it will end passenger and light truck tire manufacturing at its LaVergne, Tenn., plant, creating a loss of 543 jobs.

“Based on current economic forecasts, it appears that the global economic crisis is going to get worse before it gets better. We are not immune from these challenging times,” said president Steve Brooks of the U.S., Canada and Monterrey Manufacturing Group.

The 543 jobs includes 148 hourly and 10 salaried workers, who were part of a December 2008 layoff and primarily involved in consumer tire manufacturing.

The company said salaried workers will receive severance benefits and out-placement assistance.

And a perspective from trade pub Modern Tire Dealer.

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Tags: automotive industry, automotive suppliers, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, LaVergne, layoffs, manufacturing, plant  

A small bright spot for Bridgestone, peers

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on December 17, 2008 at 4:56 pm

A new Quebec winter tire law has manufacturers cranking out product.

“We have shipments coming in December to help offset increased demand,” Smith said. “We’ve never done that before.”

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Tags: automotive industry, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, manufacturing, Quebec  

More cuts at Bridgestone

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on December 3, 2008 at 5:13 pm

Two days after saying it will cut 150 jobs from its La Vergne plant, Bridgestone is laying off seven locals as part of a broader cutback at its Bandag unit.

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Tags: automotive industry, Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, La Vergne, manufacturing