The company says it has spent the last few months completing a programme of intensive development, and the tyre evaluation performed around the world over the next two months will be used to gauge perception among the riders.

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.

“To achieve this target, our technical aim for the new specification tyres was to make their grip characteristics easier to manage, improve warm-up performance and increase their operating temperature range. The positive reception our new tyres received at the Valencia post-season test showed we are well on track with development, and we have continued our progress over the winter break,” said Ubukata.

“At Sepang we will introduce new specification tyres for testing, while for the Valencia test we will continue to evaluate the tyres we debuted there last November. Apart from examining performance data during the tests, we will work closely with safety advisor Loris Capirossi and the riders to gauge their perception of the new tyres. This is all part of our goal to ensure optimal tyre performance for all motorcycles on the grid in 2012.”

Bridgestone has made these tyre compounds available in Sepang and Valencia:

• Sepang – Front: Hard & Extra-Hard; Rear: Medium & Hard; Rain: Hard
• Valencia – Front: Soft & Medium; Rear: Medium & Hard (asymmetric); Rain: Soft

To provide on-site support at each of the tests, Bridgestone has sent technical engineers to both Spain and Malaysia. Aside from providing technical support, the engineers are focusing on the acquisition of tyre data and rider feedback, all of which will be compiled and sent back to Bridgestone’s Technical Centre in Japan for further analysis.

The complete MotoGP test schedule for 2012 is as follows:

• Valencia (Private test), 30-31 January
• Sepang (IRTA official test), 31 January-2 February
• Jerez (Private test), 20-22 February
• Sepang (IRTA official test) 28 Febraury-1 March
• Aragon (Private test), 8-9 March
• Jerez (IRTA official test), 23-25 March

Until now, white rubber (as an alternative to black) has been used on the sidewalls of tyres to manufacture white ribbon and white letter tyres. This process requires the use of large amounts of white rubber to prevent discolouration and to also maintain durability. This conventional manufacturing process can also add additional weight to the tyre.

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.

Through this new technology, Bridgestone can realise the more creative showcase of tyres while also considering environmental concerns such as fuel efficiency, without adding any additional weight to the tyre.

Bridgestone will continue to explore the many opportunities associated with this new tyre printing technology. As an example, original customer designs or photographs could be printed on tyre sidewalls and later removed or changed of a customer chooses.

Bridgestone plans to quickly bring this tyre printing technology to market.

This new operation will be named Bridgestone Tyre Manufacturing Limited Liability Company and be 100 per cent Bridgestone-owned. Company capital will be US$307.8 million.

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.

Bridgestone says it will, moving forward, continue to bolster its global supply capacity and build a system that enables the rapid supply high-quality products to meet market demands.

According to Bridgestone, 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.

Madonna joins an esteemed list of recent halftime acts that includes The Black Eyed Peas, The Who, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Prince the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2.

Madonna has partnered with a creative team from Cirque du Soleil, Jamie King and multimedia artists from Moment Factory, to create a signature performance for the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLVI Halftime Show.

This is the fifth time Bridgestone Americas has sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show.

The tyre company’s new brand campaign, titled “Time to Perform” will debut during the game.

The Japanese manufacturer’s airless tyre employs a mesh of thermoplastic resin spokes that support the tyre’s tread.

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.

Bridgestone states initial tests have been successful and have shown the tyre to deliver a comfortable, low-noise ride.

No firm plans to commercially produce the tyre or a potential retail price have been announced.

“Bridgestone Americas has been an exemplary partner to the Council for the past 15 years, creating a roadmap for how a major corporation can make an substantial difference in the natural world around us, while teaching others how to be involved in the values of nature,” said WHC president Robert Johnson.

“This award, named in honour of our late president, is meant to recognise utmost excellence in conservation, education and outreach demonstrated by a company, and it is well deserved by Bridgestone Americas.”

In 2009, Bridgestone Americas also received another award from the WHC – with the Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom and Habitat (BEECH) at the company’s Warren County, Tennessee truck and bus tyre plant named Corporate Habitat of the Year.

“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.

“We firmly believe that what we make, and how we make it can help improve our environmental and our future. Our habitat projects teach us the importance of biodiversity and environmental conservation and help us carry that important message to the communities in which we operate and to industry as a whole.”

Bridgestone Americas maintains ten WHC certified habitats through the United States, with each providing a preserve for native flora and fauna and many offering a tailored environmental learning experience for their local communities.

For further information on Bridgestone America’s environmental activities, go to: www.OneTeamOnePlanet.com/Americas.

The new plant will be located in Vietnam, in the Dinh Vu Industrial Zone in Hai Phong City, with Bridgestone investing 35.5 billion yen in the project.

It is expected to enter production in the first half of 2014, with full production capacity reached in the first half of 2016, where the Vietnam plant will manufacture some 27,400 tyres per day and boast a workforce of around 1,900 employees.

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.

Vietnam was selected to host the new facility following a “comprehensive evaluation from a variety of perspectives, including infrastructure, location, workforce, and cost.”

The Bridgestone Group currently produces new tyres at 47 plants in 20 countries, and in addition to its project in Vietnam, is currently also setting up a new plant in India, which will begin manufacturing passenger car radials in January 2013 and truck and bus radials in August 2013, and a facility for producing large and ultra-large off-the-road radials for construction and mining vehicles in the United States.

The test was conducted mostly with the new-era 1000cc machines including five Claiming Rule Team (CRT) bikes from BQR Inmotec, BQR FTR, TeamLaglisse and the Grellini Team.

Every rider’s tyre allocation comprised of only the 2012 tyres, marking the first full usage of the 2012 tyres that Bridgestone have been developing for a year.

Bridgestone explains that the tyres have been developed with the objectives of achieving easier riding characteristics by improving warm-up performance and with a wider temperature operating range, and rider feedback is positive.

The test was the first time that next year’s rider changes take effect and the 1000cc bikes have been on track at the same time.

Tohru Ubukata, general manager of Bridgestone’s Motorsport Tyre Development Department said:
“This test was the first opportunity for us to give all the riders our finalised 2012 specification tyres so it was very important for us. Every rider used our 2012 spec tyres for both days of testing on the new era of 1000cc machines, including five of the new CRT bikes.”

“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.”

For further information on Bridgestone’s involvement in motorsport, go to www.bridgestonemotorsport.com

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.

For more than 40 years, the Bridgestone Group has had a business presence in Thailand that includes tyre production and sales, with the Group having 10 manufacturing facilities in Thailand, including new tyre, diversified products and raw materials plants.

Upon announcing these aid measures, the Bridgestone Group expressed its “sincere condolences to those who have suffered from the flood” and wished the nation of Thailand a rapid recovery.

Furthermore, it has also announced an additional 474,000-square-foot expansion of the existing passenger (PSR) and light truck (LTR) tyre plant.

The company previously announced a 266,000-square-foot expansion of this plant in July of this year.

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).

“The announcement of this greenfield off-road radial tyre plant is a major strategic investment by the global Bridgestone Group to enhance its supply systems, improve its sourcing flexibility and further strengthen the Bridgestone Group’s position as the global leader in the off-road radial tyre segment,” said Gary Garfield, Vice President and Senior Officer, Bridgestone Corporation, and CEO and President, Bridgestone Americas.

Demand for off-road radial tyres is steadily increasing as the need for mineral resources grows due to rapid economic expansion across the globe. The construction of this new ORR plant is consistent with the company’s global sourcing strategy and will strengthen the ability of the global Bridgestone Group to cement its leadership position in this important market segment.

Previously, large and ultra-large ORR tyres had been produced exclusively at Bridgestone Corporation’s Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu plants located in Japan.

Bridgestone believes that it can more effectively respond to customer needs and growing global demand, however, by installing ORR production technologies developed in Japan in the new US plant resulting in further supply systems improvements.

In addition, by establishing production bases outside Japan, the Bridgestone Group will have multiple options for possible further future expansions, improving its ability to rapidly respond to changes in the operating environment and customer requirements.

The plant will be built with a focus on the environment, with Bridgestone planning to achieve LEED Construction Certification by incorporating state-of-the-art technology in its facility and equipment design.

Manufacturing equipment for the first phase of the plant will be installed starting in the fourth quarter of 2012, with the first production tyre scheduled to be produced by the end of the first quarter of 2014 and a target date of full phase one production by the end of 2015.