Bridgestone
| Bridgestone Corporation
|
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|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Kabushiki-gaisha ( joint stock company ) |
| ISIN | JP3830800003 |
| founding | 1931 |
| Seat | Chūō , Tokyo , Japan |
| management | Shōshi Arakawa, CEO |
| Number of employees | 144,303 (2015) |
| sales | 3.79 trillion ¥ ( € 30.24 billion ) (2015) |
| Branch | Automotive suppliers, motorcycle manufacturers, tire manufacturers |
| Website | www.bridgestone.com |
KK Bridgestone ( Japanese 株式会社 ブ リ ヂ ス ト ン , Kabushiki-gaisha Burijisuton , English Bridgestone Corporation ), listed in the Nikkei 225 , is the world's largest tire manufacturer for cars, buses, trucks and special vehicles. The company was founded in Japan in 1931 and employs 144,000 people worldwide. Bridgestone is the world leader in rubber processing sales .
history
Bridgestone was founded in 1931 by Ishibashi Shōjirō ( 石橋 正 二郎 ) in the city of Kurume in Japan . The name Bridgestone originated from a literal translation and transposition of ishibashi , which translates as stone bridge in English .
After World War II , Bridgestone began producing motorcycles and bicycles, but the company earned its main income selling tires to other motorcycle manufacturers such as Honda , Suzuki and Yamaha . In 1970 it was finally decided to stop the production of motorcycles. In 1981 Bridgestone had annual sales of 2.245 billion US dollars worldwide and was the fourth largest tire manufacturer after Michelin , Goodyear and Firestone with a world market share of 7.5 percent. In 1988 Bridgestone took over the US tire manufacturer Firestone.
In Europe, Bridgestone employs over 13,000 people in 20 sales companies and eight production plants. The plants are in Béthune (France), Bari (Italy), Stargard and Posen (Poland), Burgos , Bilbao and Puente San Miguel (Spain). The expansion of the plant in Tatabánya, Hungary, was completed in mid-2019. European logistics centers were built in Zeebrugge , Belgium , Madrid and Bor in the Czech Republic, and a dedicated technology and development center in Rome . Together with its subsidiary - the tire retail chain First Stop Auto Service GmbH - Bridgestone Deutschland GmbH is based in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe . Both companies employ around 750 people across Germany.
Positioning in the market
The entry into Formula 1 sport in 1997 was successful. The use of Bridgestone tires by the multiple world champions Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen increased the number of Formula 1 teams that relied on Bridgestone. In the 2005 season, Bridgestone supplied the Formula 1 teams of Ferrari , Jordan and Minardi and also the AvD Pro 2000 Rennkart Trophy kart series with tires. In the 2006 season , Ferrari, MF1 Racing , Toyota Racing , the Williams team and the newly established Super Aguri F1 team were supplied.
After French competitor Michelin withdrew from Formula 1 at the end of 2006, Bridgestone was the only tire supplier in Formula 1.The reason was the rule change set by the FIA , according to which standard tires from a manufacturer must be used from the 2007 season in order to save costs. After the 2010 season Bridgestone got out of Formula 1. The company wants to focus resources more on developing innovative technology and strategic products that serve the company's goals, it said.
For the Champ Car and Indy Racing League (IRL) racing series, on the other hand, Bridgestone is the exclusive supplier and is currently the sole supplier in the GP2 series. Five teams in MotoGP were using Bridgestone tires up to and including 2008, including Ducati Marlboro, Kawasaki Racing and Honda Gresini. Bridgestone has been the sole supplier to the MotoGP World Championship since 2009.
Bridgestone's 2006 sales were 19 billion euros, up 11 percent over the previous year. Because of price agreements and the division of the market for marine hoses ( cartel ) from 1986 to 2007 with four other manufacturers, Bridgestone has to pay a fine of 58.5 million euros to the EU treasury.
Products
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The manufacture and supply of car tires are the main business of Bridgestone, both as an original equipment manufacturer for new vehicles and in the replacement business with tire dealers. The production and sale of tires for motorcycles, trucks and earthmoving machines are also of great importance.
In addition, the Bridgestone Corporation manufactures products for the shipping industry, golf and tennis items and, through its subsidiary Bridgestone Cycle, bicycles.
environment
In September 2007 Bridgestone Europe published an environmental report outlining the company's commitment to high environmental standards and the steps taken to meet those standards. The extent to which Bridgestone products and the individual manufacturing processes have an impact on the environment is explained in the form of a life cycle assessment - on the points of extraction of raw materials , production , reprocessing and disposal . The report also offers consumers the opportunity to find out more about environmentally friendly behavior through appropriate care and maintenance of the products.
criticism
In 2007 the company received the “ Public Eye Global Award ” - a negative rating to remind companies of their social and ecological responsibility on the occasion of the World Economic Forum ( WEF) . The organizers justify the award with the conditions similar to slavery on the rubber plantations of the tire manufacturer in Liberia , West Africa , where child labor and environmental pollution are the order of the day.
Commitment and projects
The “move it” campaign launched by the German Traffic Guard, which Bridgestone supports together with the team tire dealers, aims to counteract the lack of exercise in children . For example, yellow boxes with balls, frisbee disks, juggling cloths and swing cloths are distributed in kindergartens. The children can playfully train their ability to react and their balance.
As the main sponsor, Bridgestone is involved in the “Think before you drive” safety initiative , which is organized in Germany by the Automobile Club of Germany (AvD) and is part of the global FIA “Think before you drive” initiative. It was first presented by Michael Schumacher at the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim in 2005 . In the form of comics with a "crash test dummy" as experts on the Internet and in an information brochure, risk factors that can lead to an accident were made aware of and how they can be avoided.
In 2007/2008 and 2009/2010 Bridgestone received the “Superbrand Germany” brand award. The criteria for selection are brand dominance and acceptance, customer loyalty, brand longevity and the brand value of the company.
Art museum
Since 1952, the company's Tokyo headquarters have housed the Artizon Museum (formerly Bridgestone Museum of Art ) with Western and Japanese art from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bridgestone: Annual Report 2015. (PDF) Retrieved on August 5, 2016 (English).
- ↑ Neue Reifenenzeitung - The largest companies in the tire industry, as of May 31, 2016 (PDF; 187 kB) ( Memento from September 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Bridgestone completes expansion of its Hungary factory - Reifenpresse.de. Retrieved July 1, 2020 .
- ↑ Bridgestone leaves Formula 1 after 2010
- ↑ EU Commission fines in the millions against the marine hoses cartel
- ↑ publiceye.ch ( Memento of the original dated August 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 76 brands honored at Superbrand Germany 2007/2008
