Fairfield Economic Development

Bridgestone Firestone Aiken County Facility Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary

August 26, 2008

Nashville, Tenn. (Aug. 26, 2008) – A celebration attended by Bridgestone Americas Vice Chairmen Duke Nishiyama and Nick Zaitsu, teammates at Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire’s (BFNT) Aiken County plant, local officials and community leaders as well as other attendees was held to recognize and celebrate BFNT’s 10 year anniversary in Graniteville, S.C.

 “Making a consistently high-quality product is not easy and I know each team member has been critical to the high level of excellence you have achieved at your Aiken County facility. The team members at Bridgestone Firestone contribute to the community not just through the great work they do producing tires, but also through their involvement in education and economic development,” said United States Senator, Jim DeMint in a letter congratulating BNFT’s Aiken County facility on its 10 year anniversary.

 The Aiken County facility produces both radial passenger and light truck tires. Its operations began in 1999 and currently employ 950 teammates.

 In celebration of the 10th Anniversary, the Aiken County facility also made a contribution of $5000 to Aiken Technical College. Dr. Susan Windsor accepted the donation on behalf of the college.
 
 “I am honored to be here to celebrate yet another milestone with this great team at our Aiken County facility,” said Duke Nishiyama, Vice Chairman and President, Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. and Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC. “Ten years of excellence is no small feat. It is evidence of a strong commitment to doing things right – and doing the right thing -- efficiently and consistently. The Aiken County community has been very supportive of our business over the years and our promise to them is to continue to be a good corporate citizen.”

In 1997 the location for the Aiken County plant was announced and the ceremonial ground breaking was held. By 1999 the plant had already received both its QS9000 and ISO14001 Certifications.

In November 2001, the plant celebrated 2 million hours worked without a “lost time” injury and was recognized as an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR (Safety Through Accountability and Recognition) facility for its outstanding safety and health management.

The Aiken County plant remains one of only three tire plants in the United States to have achieved the significant honor of VPP Star status with the other two being BFNT’s Warren County, Tenn., truck tire plant and its Bloomington, Ill. off-road tire plant. Bridgestone Americas’ Kingstree, S.C building products plant is also a member of this elite group.

In 2006, the plant celebrated the manufacture of its 50 millionth tire created on its high-tech production line and announced a capital investment of nearly $17 million. The plant added a fourth rubber mixer to the facility and modified five of its existing tire building machines to produce large rim diameter tires. The modifications to the tire assembly systems increased the plant’s ability to meet the market demand for world-class tires with larger rim sizes.

In 2008, the plant unveiled a new “green-powered” forklift fleet that replaces traditional battery-powered forklifts. Hydrogen-powered vehicles run two to three times as long on a hydrogen fuel cell and take one-fourth of the time to refuel compared with battery-powered vehicles. The plant is exchanging 23 forklifts this year and 20 in 2009 to create an all hydrogen fleet. The fuel cells are a direct replacement that last longer than batteries and save time by refueling instead of recharging. BFNT’s total investment in the Aiken County plant now stands at roughly $477 million.

The facility has earned numerous awards and certifications including; the Crystal Flame Award, the South Carolina Chamber Safety Excellence Award, the South Carolina Governor’s Quality Award, Wildlife Habitat Certification, the South Carolina Large Manufacturer of the Year Award and was honored as one of Industry Week’s Top Ten Plants in North America.

“I have said it before but we really do have a wonderful team here in Aiken County. The past ten years has flown by but we have remained committed to excellence in terms of quality, safety and environmental performance,” said Plant Manager Mike Rose. “The celebration is our way of saying thank you to our teammates and to the community. We’re very excited about our future here in Aiken County and look forward to the next ten years.” 

About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.

About Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc.:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc. (BSAH) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSAH and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies are also engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produce air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber and industrial fibers and textiles. The BSAH family of companies also operates the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. 
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