Bridgestone. We all know at least the name of this Japanese tire manufacturer. Founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi in the Japanese town of Kurume, the company has always been committed to innovation for its customers, while offering a wide range of tires to cover as many of their needs as possible. And this is a recipe that works, since in 2017, Bridgestone was considered the world’s largest tire manufacturer, outperforming such industry heavyweights as Michelin, Goodyear, Continental and Pirelli. Blackcircles Canada, proud partner and distributor of Bridgestone products in Canada, takes this opportunity to help you rediscover this extraordinary manufacturer in detail!
A company born in Japan, but with an international outlook right from the start.
As we have just seen, Bridgestone is a company that emerged quite far from Canadians, since it was born in the land of the rising sun. Nevertheless, it is a company that, from the outset, had a desire to develop internationally, as its name shows. Indeed, the company’s name is extrapolated from the translation of Ishibashi, the founder’s surname, into English, which means “stone bridge”. The company therefore already had the idea of growing internationally from its very beginnings, with a name that is easily pronounceable in the business language. And it succeeded since Bridgestone had no less than 181 production plants in 24 countries by July 2018. That’s impressive!
A longstanding and very dynamic local economic player.
With such a scale, one would be led to believe that Bridgestone is a distant and disconnected firm at the local level. And yet it’s quite the opposite, and has been for a long time. Indeed, Bridgestone has been established for more than half a century in Quebec through its Joliette plant, which is now more than 54 years old. The Joliette plant is one of the most technologically advanced production units of the manufacturer.
In fact, Bridgestone had launched a major modernization plan for the plant in 2016, which will have cost $312,000,000, including $50,000,000 invested in a fully automated warehouse that can accommodate up to 450,000 tires. The plant now has a production rate for car, truck and SUV tires that reaches 20,000 tires/day. This is a far cry from the 3,500 tires that were being produced every day in 1966! In 2019, this vigorous development made it possible to support the 1,300 employees who worked there (1966: just over 300 employees).
So when you buy your Bridgestone tires for your car through the blackcircles website, you are contributing to the strength of the local economy in Quebec and Canada!
Accessible state-of-the-art technologies to offer quality tires for every use.
Innovative in its plants, Bridgestone is also innovative in terms of tire technology. Very early on, it marketed nylon tires (1959!) as well as Bridgestone radial tires (the very innovative Super Filler Radial was introduced in 1978).
And this tradition of offering highly capable tires for all types of drivers to enable them to deal effectively with the situations they encounter is still an integral part of the manufacturer’s DNA today. Whether it’s 3LC technology with three layers offering exceptional cornering grip, or the NanoPro-Tech system offering optimized tire performance by intervening in the interactions between the various tire components, Bridgestone continues to innovate constantly to offer products that are at the cutting edge of the industry.
Moreover, you will necessarily find a tire among those offered by Bridgestone on our blackcircles.ca website. You want the best performance summer tires for your sports car? The Bridgestone Potenza tire will meet your needs! You want a tire with proven versatility? Take a look at the DriveGuard RFT line, which offers one of the best warranties with regard to all-season tires. With truly exceptional performance in terms of comfort and noise reduction while you drive, they are available for vehicles ranging from pickup trucks to convertibles. Bridgestone also offers winter tires with incredible performance in the worst winter conditions, as proven by the Blizzak LM-32 model, with astonishing grip while reducing the risk of hydroplaning and providing much shorter braking distances than the competition.
Bridgestone tires: quality Canadian tires that help the local economy.
After all, Bridgestone did not become one of the world leaders in the tire industry by accident. With a strong early presence outside of Japan, a systematic focus on progress through technology, and a wide range of products to meet all tire needs, Bridgestone is a major player in the industry, both internationally and locally, and is committed to providing affordable prices for its customers. This last point is also an integral part of our philosophy at blackcircles Canada. This is how you will find on our site a vast choice of Bridgestone products at the best prices! So if it’s time to change your tires, visit blackcircles.ca today!
