Bridgestone Americas Holding, Nashville, TN, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone, announced that the first installation of BIRD (Bridgestone's new tire production system) outside Japan would occur at a new plant to be constructed in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Bridgestone Americas Holding, Nashville, TN, the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone, announced that the first installation of BIRD (Bridgestone's new tire production system) outside Japan would occur at a new plant to be constructed in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The facility will be located in the city of Monterrey and will produce high performance, ultra-high performance and large rim diameter passenger and light truck tires, primarily for the Noah American tire market. Site work for the plant, which will be a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, is expected to begin soon, with operations targeted to begin in July 2007. The plant will have a production capacity of about 8,000 tires per day and expects to employ about 200 personnel. Investment in the plant is expected to total approximately $220 million. BIRD is the world's first production system for tires that completely automates all stages of tire manufacturing, from the initial processing of materials to final inspection of the finished product. BIRD is also capable of producing several different types and sizes of tires simultaneously.