Bridgestone to expand retreading capacity

Bridgestone Americas, based in Nashville, Tennessee, has announced an investment of $60 million to expand its Bridgestone Bandag LLC retread tire manufacturing plant in Abilene, Texas.

The 50,000-square-foot expansion of the Abilene plant is aimed at the growing demand for the company’s tread rubber products, driven by the rapid growth of its retread business, the firm says.

The expansion includes an increase in operational activity by running on six and seven-day production schedules and the construction of new mixing operations at the facility. The mixing operations are expected to be completed and in operation by January 2025.

“Today we celebrate the growth and commitment of this plant and this community, with new investment and a physical expansion driven by growing demand for our products and, just as fundamentally, by this team’s commitment to delivering innovation and superior quality for our customers here and around the world,” says Barry Owens, senior vice president, Bridgestone Americas Manufacturing Group. “Our company and our Abilene team have a vital role to play in the transformation of mobility brought forth by a desire of building greener retreads, while helping maximize fuel efficiency for fleets.”

Bridgestone describes Bandag as an industry leading supplier of retread tires for fleets. Retread tires not only provide fleets an economic benefit, but also are an environmentally responsible way to extend the life of tires in any fleet.

Since 1957, Bandag has been responsible for delaying approximately 300 million tires from reaching the waste and processing/recycling system. The Bandag retreading process has saved 4 billion gallons of oil via this activity since it began 50 years ago, says Bridgestone.

Celebrating 50 years of operations in 2021, the Bridgestone investment will build upon the plant’s existing 200,000-square-foot blueprint and provide capacity needed for future production, the company says.