Bridgestone says to shed 800 workers in US

Japanese tyremaker Bridgestone Corp. announced that it was shedding about 800 jobs in the United States to cope with weaker demand.

Bridgestone said it would stop making tyres for passenger cars and light trucks at its Tennessee factory with the loss of 543 jobs.

It will also reduce production of tyres for bigger trucks at the same plant, resulting in a further 259 layoffs.

Bridgestone said it hoped to re-hire workers when the economy picks up, perhaps as early as the fourth quarter of 2009.

The company will continue to produce tyres for larger trucks and buses at the plant with more than 700 workers.

Bridgestone, which vies with France's Michelin to be the world's top tyremaker, has been hit hard by weaker auto sales and a stronger yen.

The company will halt production at its French plant in Bethune for 46 days between February and June because of weak demand, the managing director of the plant, Bruno Capron, told AFP.

"We are faced with a much bigger than expected drop in tyre sales, not just in France but also other factories," he said.