Bridgestone breaks ground on Akron race tire plant

摘要

AKRON-Bridgestone Americas Inc.is on track to start making race tires at its new plant in Akron by the end of 2020,after breaking ground on the project recently.The Bridgestone Advanced Tire Production Center,plans for which the company disclosed in February,is being built near the Bridgestone Americas Technical Center,the hub for the company's innovations.”Our plans for the facility include both new construction and a full renovation of an existing structure,and all has been moving forward smoothly,”according to Cara Adams,director of Race Tire Engineering and Production for Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and Firestone Racing.”We broke ground late this summer on the new construction portion,and walls are already going up,”she said.”Everything remains on schedule at this moment for the facility to produce its first Firestone Firehawk race tires for testing in the NTT IndyCar Series by the end of 2020.”Adams said the project is a”transition process over the next four years,”and that Bridgestone's team of race tire builders and manufacturers will be in the new facility by year-end 2022.Bridgestone did not disclose its investment in the new factory.Bridgestone is the sole tire supplier to the NTT IndyCar Series,and tire production at the new plant will be for the series.In a deal announced in February,Firestone will continue to be the race tire supplier to the open-wheel race series,which includes the Indianapolis 500,through 2025.