Bridgestone investing over €200m in Spanish tyre plant

Bridgestone is to invest up to €207 million in its Burgos passenger tyre manufacturing site in northern Spain, in what is one of its largest European investments to date.

The Burgos manufacturing facility, which has one of the largest production capacities for Bridgestone passenger car tyres globally, will see a 75 per cent increase in High Rim Diameter (HRD) tyre capacity (18 inch and above) to over seven million units per year.

In addition, Bridgestone says this transformation will see the Burgos plant become one of its biggest producers of van tyres in Europe.

According to Bridgestone, this investment is part of its global initiative to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with the company estimating a reduction of approximately 2,000 tons of CO2 emissions by 2030, compared to current levels.

The plant improvement involves technological changes such as automation for higher productivity, increased vulcanisation capacity and the establishment of an automatic high bay warehouse to enhance tyre stock flexibility.

Bridgestone will also introduce its Bridgestone communality modularity architecture (BCMA), aiming to improve production agility and efficiency.

The tyre manufacturer recently installed more than 20,000 solar panels on the plant’s roof, which Bridgestone says can generate 9.2MW of power. This solar energy is said to contribute between 10 and 14 per cent of the plant’s electrical energy consumption.

Emilio Tiberio, chief technology officer (CTO) of Bridgestone West, said: “This multi-million-euro investment is aimed at strengthening our premium tyre business by increasing our productivity, logistics autonomy and tyre offering in the high value segments.

“Furthermore, we are proud to contribute significantly to the economic development of Burgos, Castilla y León and Spain by continuing to strengthen our manufacturing and sustainable footprint in a strategic region for us at the European level.”