
Bridgestone Americas celebrated the expansion of its Warren County, Tenn., Truck and Bus Radial (TBR) Tire Plant located in Morrison with an official groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday.
The $550 million investment, first announced last year, will add 380 new jobs and expand the plant’s existing footprint by 850,000 sq.-ft., to support increased capacity and to accelerate the use of advanced technologies that support cleaner, safer and more efficient commercial truck and bus fleets.
The addition of these new jobs reinforces Bridgestone’s commitment to American manufacturing, bringing the total number of the company’s manufacturing workforce in the U.S. to nearly 10,000, the company says. The investment also will enable for all tires made in Warren to be equipped with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that enable more efficient asset management and optimization of fleets’ investments in tires, including retreading. The plant will incorporate technology for digital readiness in tires, including the integration of tire-mounted sensors that support advanced, data-driven insights for more efficient fleet management.
Bridgestone says it will also invest in AI control technology that increases productivity and the application of knowledge and data in a digital manufacturing environment. These technologies combined will help accelerate the company’s progress toward its sustainability goals, including carbon neutrality by 2050.
The expansion of the 33-year-old facility is underway, with construction expected to be substantially completed by the end of 2026. Employment will grow from 1,100 to more than 1,400 teammates and the plant’s footprint will grow from 1.97 million to more than 2.8 million sq.-ft.
“With new investment and new jobs, we are moving our Warren County Plant forward, driven by growing demand for our products, our commitment to investing in U.S. manufacturing, and our Warren team’s dedication to innovation, efficiency and quality for our customers. We appreciate the partnership we’ve received from the state of Tennessee and Warren County, which is foundational to this expansion,” says Paolo Ferrari, joint global COO, Bridgestone Corporation, and president and CEO, Bridgestone Americas.
“Our company and the Warren County Plant team have a vital role to play in the transformation of mobility. This investment will expand the capabilities of this plant and pave the way for Bridgestone to bolster its sustainable solution offerings for fleets.”