WHAT’S NEW SOUTH CAROLINA BRIDGESTONE PLANT MARKS QUARTER CENTURY Bridgestone’s passenger and light truck tire plant in Aiken County, South Carolina, recently celebrated 25 years of operations. The Aiken Passenger Tire Plant began producing passenger and light truck tires for OE manufacturers and retail in 1998 and continues to play a vital role in the local community, employing more than 1,700 people. The plant is among the company’s global facilities which are adding the capability to produce Bridgestone’s Enliten technology. “As we celebrate 25 years of manufacturing, we are thankful for our dedicated team, who are directly responsible for delivering the best-in-class passenger and light truck tires our customers know and expect from Bridgestone,” said Scott Damon, chief operating officer at Bridgestone Americas. “The Aiken Passenger Team is among the top plants in Bridgestone’s global manufacturing footprint. The impact our teammates make through the products they manufacture is at the core of our business, and we couldn’t do it without this team’s drive to continuously improve our operation and serve the community.” The Aiken Passenger Tire Plant is in Graniteville, South Carolina. It is LEED certified by the US Green Building Council and is a certified WAIT (Wildlife and Industry Together) partner with the South Carolina Wildlife Federation. Bridgestone offers a variety of programs through its on-site learning center in Aiken County, where it provides free community outreach and training. In 2021, Bridgestone announced its first ground-based solar array, which directly powers the manufacturing process at the plant. PIRELLI TO EXPAND DIGITAL SOLUTIONS HUB D The facility in Bari, Italy, is focused on optimizing tire manufacturing uring celebrations to mark one year of activity at Pirelli’s Digital Solutions Center in Bari, Italy, the tire maker announced further growth for the center. From 2025, the number of employees at the facility will rise to 80 (compared with the 50 originally expected) – the current headcount is 30, mainly from the Apulia region. Pirelli has so far invested around €4.5m (US$4.9m) of the €9m (US$9.8m) earmarked through 2024. At a ceremony to celebrate the news, Pirelli executive vice chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera presented Apulia president Michele Emiliano with a tire used in the F1 championship. Above: The Digital Solutions Center launched with a remit to explore projects in data analysis, software development and machine learning algorithms for intelligent factories The link between Pirelli, Bari University and the Bari Polytechnic has been fundamental for the growth achieved during the facility’s first year. The center remains focused on optimizing production processes at Pirelli factories by developing smart manufacturing systems, applying digitalization and artificial intelligence to the various phases of tire design. In particular, the Digital Solutions Center is working on algorithms to accelerate product development times, improve quality, maximize machinery efficiency, optimize marketing effectiveness and support the creation of new digital services. In addition, the team has created a virtual tire design solution to simulate the performance of innovative materials in new tires. The world’s leading tire manufacturers rely on HERBERT for tire molds, presses, tooling and equipment they need to ful fi ll today’s demands. Reliability and highest quality standards are ensured at our headquarters in Hünfeld, Germany, as well as by the manufacturing facility in the USA. TIRE MANUFACTURING MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT • • • • • • All sizes available Reducing energy costs up to 30% Better Heat-Distribution over mechanism Shorter Heating-Up times, reduced cycle time Retrofitable for existing Containers Short Amortisation time Heat Distribution in Cone Ring of Energy Saving Container made by HERBERT HERBERT USA, Inc. 1460-1480 Industrial Parkway • Akron Ohio • 44310 (USA) Phone: +1 330 / 929-4297 • eMail: mario.vargas@hmw.us.com HERBERT Tire Tooling GmbH & Co. KG HERBERT Maschinen-und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG Industriestr. 10 • 36088 Hünfeld (Germany) Phone: +49 6652 / 609-146 • eMail: bernd.schmitt@herbert.eu