The upgrade of the Bridgestone‘s Kitakyushu Plant, which produces tyres for mining and construction vehicles, will be completed in 2027.
The Bridgestone Mastercore Is One of the Kitakyushu Plant’s Most Revered Products
Bridgestone Corporation announced on 6 August 2024 that it would invest ¥25 billion (£134.9 million) to upgrade equipment for certain facilities at the Kitakyushu Plant, which produces tyres for mining and construction vehicles. This upgrade will be completed by the end of 2027.
This strategic investment is a part of Bridgestone’s Mid Term Business Plan (2024-2026) to focus on delivering value over volume as it strengthens its off-the-road (OTR) tyre business, which drives the company’s premium tyre business.
The Kitakyushu Plant is the strategic global production base for OTR tyres, including Bridgestone’s Dan-Totsu products, the Bridgestone Mastercore, and supplies to customers globally. This strategic investment will not only ensure a high-quality and stable supply, but also further elevate the level of safety, disaster prevention, eco-friendliness, quality, and productivity. Furthermore, the investment will enhance production technology for the future generation of Dan-Totsu products.
Through this investment, Bridgestone is committed to contributing to the local community and supporting the realisation of a sustainable society with safety and peace of mind. As the investment focuses on upgrading existing equipment, the production volume will remain at the current level.
About Bridgestone Mastercore
Bridgestone Mastercore, a flagship product in Bridgestone’s Dan-Totsu product, realises ultra-high durability based on the combination of our new unique technologies including steel cord manufactured in-house.
Bridgestone Mastercore provides the optimal performance customised to each customer’s need and the operating condition of each vehicle by further improving its robust durability and other desired tyre performance without sacrificing other performances.
Since its announcement in August 2020, the Bridgestone Mastercore has been deployed in approximately 100 mines globally. Its value has been recognized by many mining companies. Bridgestone continues to enhance Dan-Totsu product power through the development of the Mastercore.
Expansion of Mining Solutions
With the Mastercore at the core, Bridgestone is expanding its mining solutions to maximize productivity and economic value in mining operations. This is achieved by fusing strong physical capabilities with digital technologies.
Bridgestone‘s physical capabilities include field engineering services at mining sites (Genbutsu-Genba) for tyre maintenance and optimal use, supported by a global service solution network of approximately 130 sites.
By fusing these strong physical and digital capabilities, such as AI-driven tyres and vehicle data analytics, the company aims to evolve and expand its mining solutions.
The solutions are further enhanced by vehicle operation data shared by customers based on trust. In July 2023, Bridgestone started to offer a new mining solutions service that optimises tyre maintenance timing and vehicle operation routes with a tyre durability prediction model by leveraging AI to build its unique algorithms.
This service was first introduced to the Spence copper mine (Pampa Norte operation) in Chile, operated by BHP Group Limited & Plc.
Bridgestone amplifies the value of its Dan-Totsu products at the stage where customers use tyres to solve their problems. The company contribute to sustainability by improving resource productivity since using tyres safer, longer, better and more efficiently reduces the number of tyres used.
Through the development of the Mastercore and enhancement of mining solutions, Bridgestone strives to achieve the corporate commitments of “Efficiency: Committed to maximizing productivity through the advancement of mobility” and “Ecology: Committed to advancing sustainable tyre technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations” described in the “Bridgestone E8 Commitment.”
