Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone), a group company of Bridgestone Corporation, will be closing its LaVergne, Tennessee, Truck and Bus Radial Tire Plant effective July 31.

Bridgestone said the decision 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. Bridgestone stated it remains committed to contributing to society, economy, and mobility of people and goods across the U.S.

“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,” said Scott Damon, CEO, Bridgestone West and Group president, Bridgestone Americas. “We are confident that this decision will strengthen our core business, enabling us to operate more efficiently.”

Optimizing U.S. Business Footprint

Under the mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality,” Bridgestone said it has been actively contributing to the U.S. society and the economy since its merger with Firestone in 1988. This included investments in new tire plants, such as those in Warren County, Tennessee; and Aiken County, South Carolina; established in the 1990s and 2010s. 

The company has been updating and optimizing its U.S. business footprint, which includes its headquarters and other offices, the technology center in Akron, Ohio, Bandag retreading sites, and a sales and service network of 2,200 equity retail stores, all while contributing to local communities.

Strengthening Core Tire Business

While adapting to the challenges of the business environment, Bridgestone said it 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 company said, the decision to close the LaVergne plant has been made. 

The closing of the LaVergne plant impacts approximately 700 hourly and staff teammates.

Capacity & Workforce Reductions

Bridgestone will also implement business footprint and cost optimization measures in other areas, as part of its strategic initiatives. These include plant capacity and workforce reductions at the Des Moines, Iowa, agriculture tire plant, and workforce reductions in the company’s U.S. corporate sales and operations. 

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.