Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center Co., Ltd., wholly-owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., today held a ceremony to celebrate its official opening in its office at Shinawatra Tower 3 Building, Viphavadi Rangsit Rd., Bangkok, Thailand. This will be the Bridgestone Group’s first technical center in Thailand, and also in the Asia Pacific region*1.
The ceremony, which marked the official start of operations of the new technical center, was attended by representatives from the Bridgestone Group, including Mr. Yoshiyuki Morimoto, Senior Vice President, Member of the Board, and Chief Technology Officer responsible for Technology; concurrently responsible for CSR and Quality Management of Bridgestone Corporation, Mr. Shinichi Sato, Vice President and Officer of Bridgestone Corporation and President of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.*2 and Mr. Masajiro Fujiwara, Managing Director of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center Co., Ltd.*3. During the ceremony, Mr. Morimoto talked about the role that the technical center will play in providing technical support across the region and his expectations of it in enhancing research and development for Bridgestone to respond more quickly to customers’ needs.
As the markets in the Asian region continue to grow and diversify at a fast rate, Bridgestone believes that it is necessary to set up a technical center in Thailand as a step to strengthen its framework for research and development in the region. By establishing a technical center close to the markets, Bridgestone will be able to grasp changes in its customers’ needs constantly and reflect these in the development of its products. The new technical center will oversee the functions of Tire Development, Production Technology, Quality Management, and Procurement, and serve as a regional base to enhance the operational level in terms of safety, environment, product quality and delivery in its Asian plants.
Moving forward, the Bridgestone Group plans to increase its presence in the Asia Pacific region through enhancing research and development, expanding its sales network, and increasing tire production capacity as it strives to achieve its mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality”.
| *1 | The Asia Pacific region referred to here, does not include China and Japan. |
| *2 | Mr. Shinichi Sato concurrently serves as Member of the Board of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Member of the Board and Managing Director of Thai Bridgestone Co., Ltd., subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, Japan. |
| *3 | Mr. Masajiro Fujiwara concurrently serves as Member of the Board of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.. |
Overview of Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center
| 1. | Company name | : | Bridgestone Asia Pacific Technical Center Co., Ltd. |
| 2. | Location | : | 1010, 13th Floor, Shinawatra Tower 3, Viphavadi Rangsit Rd., Chatuchak, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand |
| 3. | Date of establishment | : | March 2013 |
| 4. | Capital | : | Approximately 3.0 billion Japanese yen |
| 5. | Investment | : | Approximately 4.1 billion Japanese yen |
| 6. | Representative | : | Masajiro Fujiwara |
| 7. | Equity ownership | : | 100% Bridgestone Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. owned |
| 8. | Number of employees | : | Approximately 40 employees (as of August 13, 2013) |
| 9. | Operations | : | Tire development, Production technology, Quality management, Procurement |
