1980s - 50th anniversary celebrates a decade of firsts
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The 80s began with a milestone event, the celebration of the company's 50th anniversary, but it was just the beginning of a string of successes marked by expansions, revolutionary technology and acquisitions. |
| Tyre cut through sample |
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| International expansion leads to the acquisition of Firestone |
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Expansion began small with the opening of the first Cockpit retail outlet for tyres and car accessories. But Bridgestone took a large step into solidifying its position in the world tyre market in 1983 when it purchased its first production facility in Tennessee, U.S. from Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. It didn't end there. The company finally acquired the entire company in 1988 – the second largest tyre manufacturer in the U.S. for $2.6 billion. This marked Bridgestone's transformation into a truly global company. |
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Harvey S. Firestone,
Founder of the Firestone
Tire and Rubber Company |
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| Bridgestone and Firestone's European Office are close to a union |
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 After the global Bridgestone/Firestone merger, Firestone Europe Inc., Firestone's European Office, was established in Belgium in 1989. Both Bridgestone Corporation European Office and Firestone European Office were located in the same building in Brussels, although they remained separate entities. |
Firestone is present
in Europe for many years
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| Bridgestone's technological advances revolutionises tyre industry |
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 Success was not limited to business operations but technological advances in tyre development and design revolutionised the industry. In 1982, Bridgestone introduced Japan's first studless snow tyre and five years later; engineers designed the original multicell compound for use in this tyre. It also announced two new theories: the revolutionary Rolling Control Optimisation Theory and the Tension Control Optimisation Theory for truck and bus tyres. Hard work paid off in 1986 when Porsche adopted Bridgestone's RE71 ultra high-performance tyres as factory equipment on its limited edition 959 sports car, the world's fastest production car at the time. |
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