NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In the words of its own president, Kurt Danielson, Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (BCS) has a tendency to focus on “doing” and not spending enough time talking about its accomplishments.
The company took an important step towards spreading its message today by inviting business press editors to a Media Boot Camp here to get the inside story on all the new tire technologies and training BCS says will make a real difference for its dealers and customers.
BCS is shooting for some agressive goals over the next few years, including improving the rolling efficiency of its tires by 25% and reducing the CO2 content per sale by 35% by the year 2025. Danielson and vice-president of marketing Scott Damon emphasized that the company is relying on providing total tire solutions and paying close attention to the unique needs of customers rather than producing products and expecting the market to adopt them.
“During the recession, everybody took a closer look at their business and started running it tighter. We have seen a shift in our customer base where they are saying help us manage our tire programs better, help us find solutions to reduce downtime,” Danielson said. “Buying a ‘good tire’ is no longer good enough.”
The Media Boot Camp included a deep dive into the company’s new Bridgestone Ecopia truck tire lineup and Bandag FuelTech retread solution. The two product lines, which include five new tires and four retreads, are designed to work together. Using specially engineered compounds which have been paired with matching retread patterns, BCS believes it has created a solution that provides low rolling resistance from the new Ecopia tire straight through to the FuelTech retread while extending casing life.
The Media Boot Camp also included an extensive tour of the company’s Warren flagship tire plant and its education centre. The plant produces around 8,500 truck tires a day, employing four shifts. Plans to increase production by another 1,000 tires a day go into effect next year.
After a drive down the highway journalists were also treated to a tour of the company’s North American Manufacturing Education Centre where Randy Hanson, technical training solutions manager, showed and explained the different machinery used in a Bandag retreading plant.
The centre is used to provide educational support to BCS dealers and customers who come to learn such things as basic tire construction, conditions for tire failure, and equipment maintenance and troubleshooting.