Six lap records were set on Bridgestone tyres last yet, but feedback from riders suggested that additional safety features needed to be built into new tyres, and Bridgestone Motorsport general manager, Tohru Ubukata says this is where the focus has been.
Bridgestone’s advanced tyre printing technology consists of the layer to protect from discolouration as the base, inks newly developed for this technology, and the layer to protect from external damages on the surface.
The 1.02 million square metre factory to be built in Hai Phong City is scheduled to enter operation in the first half of 2014 and within two years of this is expected to employ 1,900 workers and produce around 24,700 tyres per day.
the Bridgestone Super Bowl halftime is the most watched musical event of the year, with more than 162 million US viewers tuning in to last year’s show, coupled with a healthy international viewing audience also.
The spokes are positioned tangentially from the tyre’s centre and the outer tread layer is made from tyre rubber; all tread and inner components are produced using 100 per cent recyclable materials, Bridgestone states.
Bridgestone’s airless tyre concept has been produced in a 9-inch diameter and is undergoing testing on a one-seat electric vehicle.
“Our wildlife habitats are the embodiment of our environmental mission – ‘to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations’,” said Tim Bent, director of Environmental Affairs for Bridgestone Americas.
Bridgestone says the new plant will primarily serve as an export base for general use replacement market tyres sold in the European, North American and Japanese markets.
To meet rising demand within these regions in the short term, the tyre maker has increased production capacities at its Nong Khae Plant in Thailand and Karawang Plant in Indonesia; Bridgestone determined however that a new plant is necessary in order to respond to continuing growth in demand
“The tyres we supplied are those that will be used for next season, but this test was the first official one for the 1000cc bikes so this is the first stage in learning these new machines so we are not resting on our laurels. We will keep learning their characteristics with each test and continue our tyre development into and through next season.
“We started developing this new family of tyres from the post-Valencia test at this time last year and used every test opportunity during this season to continue with our development programme, and I am confident what we have will be a marked step forward in addressing the specific concerns from this year
In additional to the company contribution, Bridgestone Group companies in Thailand will be donating funds and collecting food worth approximately 3.4 million yen as further aid for those affected by the disaster.
When fully completed, these three projects will total a US$1.2 billion investment and will increase Bridgestone Americas’ workforce in Aiken County by more than 850 jobs (direct or contractor positions).