Who Owns Bridgestone Tires?

‍What Is Bridgestone?

Bridgestone Tire company is the largest manufacturer of tires in the world today. They currently have tire manufacturing plant networks that span the globe.

The rubber company is the largest player in the tire industry today. Annually, Bridgestone makes around 14 billion dollars a year in revenue.

Bridgestone was a small tire company based out of Japan founded in 1931. During the early years of its founding, the Bridgestone Tire Company struggled to succeed.

But through technological innovation and perseverance, they succeeded and became what is today the largest tire manufacturer in the world.

During WWII, wartime rations caused all of Bridgestone’s output to be put towards the war effort for Japan. In WWII, the Bridgestone Tokyo headquarters was destroyed by bombs.

The Bridgestone plants in other cities that were manufacturing tires went untouched by bombing in WWII, so production during WWII and after was allowed to continue.

The Bridgestone Cycle Company was founded shortly after WWII, which was a bicycle company, formed in 1949. By 1958, Bridgestone was making their own motorcycles.

Firestone

The Firestone brand was a company founded in the early 1900’s. Firestone was an American company founded in Akron, Ohio.

In 1988, Firestone was facing financial difficulties from competing tire manufacturers. The Bridgestone corporation was facing financial losses, which led to its decline in market share and reputation.

Bridgestone, during the same time, was thriving, and had built a strong reputation for producing high quality tires. In 1988, Bridgestone was able to purchase Firestone tires and increase its global reach from Japan to the United States.

By expanding into America with the purchase of Bridgestone, the Bridgestone Americas was created. The Bridgestone Americas is a subsidiary of Bridgestone.

Bridgestone Americas are responsible for managing Bridgestone’s operations in the Americas, including North America, South America, and Central America.

Bridgestone acquires Firestone for $1.25 billion dollars in North America. With the purchase, the product line of Bridgestone and Firestone was synergized. As well, Bridgestone was able to expand marketing into North America.

Bridgestone kept the Firestone name to keep the brand recognition that Harvey Firestone built up over the years. The Bridgestone Firestone connection is one that shocked the tire industry and has since led to the creation of the largest tire manufacturer in the world.

Who Owns Bridgestone?

Currently, no one entity owns Bridgestone tires. Among all of the tire brands, this is not uncommon. While Bridgestone owns Firestone, no one individual owns Bridgestone.

Bridgestone is a publicly held company run by a management team, a board of directors, and controlling shareholders.

The CEO of Bridgestone is a Japanese man named Schuichi Ishibashi. Ishibashi joined the company in 1977 and worked his way up to CEO. Bridgestone announced Ishibashi was voted in by a board of directors in 2020.

Other than Ishibashi, the Bridgestone building houses lots of other important members such as Masahiro Higashi, and Masahiro Higashi.

These individuals make up the executive team of Bridgestone, though, they are not technically the owners of Bridgestone.

They are just the minds and hearts behind the Bridgestone innovation that we’ve all come to know and love.

Bridgestone Quality Tires

Bridgestone Tires beats all other tire competitors in tire technology.

Bridgestone offers superior quality to every other tire company since they are the world’s largest tire manufacturer.  As a mechanic, Bridgestone radial tires are some of the highest quality a shop can sell.

They are usually priced the highest, but Bridgestone’s name is synonymous with high quality. The Bridgestone group is the best tire manufacturer in the world, and currently, sells the highest quality tires.

When I was a mechanic, we sold a lot of Bridgestone tires, despite their high price tag. It’s because the customers and the salesmen know the importance of quality in the tire. And with that knowledge, they can tell Bridgestone has the highest quality tires.

You can tell when you handle a Bridgestone that its quality is top of the line, in comparison to handling other brands. The tire feels stiffer, yet more durable in your hands. It feels like a stronger tire compared to a Cooper, or other brand.

Bridgestone tires are the biggest manufacturer in the world, leading them to have the most money. With that money Bridgestone makes, they invest lots of it into research and development.

Bridgestone has a number of different research centers throughout the world. At each research center, they push the boundaries of what’s possible, in accordance with tires. Tire technology has been permanently altered for the better thanks to Bridgestone.

Here are some technologies Bridgestone has developed or invented.

• Run-Flat Tires: Bridgestone was one of the first companies to develop run-flat tires, which allow drivers to continue driving even after a puncture, without having to change the tire.
• Low Rolling Resistance Tires: Bridgestone has also been a leader in developing tires that have low rolling resistance, which can help to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Noise-Reducing Tires: Bridgestone has developed tire technologies that are designed to reduce road noise and provide a more comfortable ride for drivers.
• Eco-Friendly Tires: Bridgestone has also been a pioneer in developing eco-friendly tires, which are made from sustainable materials and have a smaller environmental impact.
• Sport Tires: Bridgestone has a long history of producing high-performance tires for sports cars and high-performance vehicles. These tires are designed to provide exceptional handling and grip, even at high speeds.

As you can see, Bridgestone has truly pushed the limits on what a tire can be. Not only are the tires the Bridgestone produces high quality, but the tires now have deep technology actually built into the tires.

Bridgestone is even working on a new way to synthesize rubber. The process, called SUSYM, involves combining rubber and resin on the molecular level. It’s an exciting time to be part of the Bridgestone team.

The Bridgestone Tire company is truly amazing.