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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Bridgestone Americas Expands Abilene, Texas, Operations

09/23/2022
Bridgestone Americas, U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, will expand its Bandag manufacturing plant in Abilene, Texas. The $60 million project is expected to create 25 jobs.

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

The expansion includes an immediate increase in operational activity by running on six and seven-day production schedules, as well as the construction of new mixing operations at the facility. The mixing operations are planned to be online 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," said 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."

City council has offered up to $6 million in incentives for the expansion project.

"It says that the company believes in our operation in Abilene and Abilene believes in Bridgestone Bandag," she said, showing the community is "growing and prospering,” added Misty Mayo, president and CEO of the DCOA. “We felt when the citizens of Abilene and the business community of Abilene sees positive things happening, particularly with large corporations like this, it ups the value of Abilene. You'll see a lot of projects that spin off from this."

Bandag is an industry leading supplier of retread tires for fleets. Since 1957, operations have been responsible for keeping approximately 300 million tires out of the waste system, which helps reduce material emissions, water and energy use associated with the production of a new tire. The Bandag retreading process has also saved four billion gallons of oil since it began 50 years ago.

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