Company Overview

Bridgestone is the world’s number one tire maker. But Bridgestone is about more than tires: 20 percent of the company’s sales come from other products, such as rubber bearings, golf balls, industrial rubber products, roofing materials, and marine components. Founded in 1931, the company’s name comes from its founder’s last name, which literally means “stone bridge” in Japanese. The company’s American operations expanded in 1988 when Bridgestone bought Firestone Tire & Rubber. The newly merged entity was renamed Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., and it became Bridgestone’s largest subsidiary. In 2001, the company’s operations in the Americas were reorganized into Bridgestone Americas Holding, a holding company with operating subsidiaries Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire (tire manufacturing, wholesale and original equipment sales), BFS Retail and Commercial Operations (company-owned stores in the U.S. and Canada), and BFS Diversified Products (non-tire businesses). Bridgestone Americas has 42 production facilities throughout the Americas. Bridgestone is also expanding its production in emerging markets such as China, eastern Europe, and Thailand.