Bridgestone broke ground on a $60 million expansion of its Abilene, Texas, Bandag retread plant Tuesday.
"Today is a significant day for all of us at the Abilene Bandag plant and across Bridgestone Americas as we break ground on this important expansion that will allow us to grow our production capabilities to meet the needs of our customers," says Bill Fralick, manager of the Abilene plant. "We'd like to thank the Abilene community for its support over the last 52 years. We're excited to begin this next chapter in our plant's history."
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In addition to the 50,000-square-foot expansion, the Bandag plant will see an immediate increase in operational activity, running six- and seven-day production schedules, Bridgestone says. Mixing operations will be completed and in operation by January 2025, the company says.
Fralick was joined at the groundbreaking by Bandag Executive Director Chris Daniel, Bandag North America Vice President Jason Roanhouse, Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt, Development Corporation of Abilene President and CEO Misty Mayo, and Abilene City Council Member Shane Price.
"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," Bandag's Daniel says. "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."
The Abilene Bandag plant celebrated 50 years of operations in 2021.
