Bridgestone to Close Tire Plant in Tennessee, Lay Off 700
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tire manufacturer Bridgestone Americas is closing its LaVergne, Tenn., truck and bus radial tire plant and laying off 700 workers there, the company announced in a release.
Bridgestone said the closure will help the company “optimize its business footprint” and “strengthen its competitiveness.”
Also, Bridgestone announced capacity and workforce reductions at its Des Moines, Iowa, agriculture tire plant and additional workforce reductions in U.S. sales and operations. In Latin America, it plans reductions in workforce and production capacity in Argentina and Brazil. A spokesperson for Bridgestone did not immediately respond to questions Jan. 24 about the extent of those reductions.
The LaVergne plant was the first tire-producing facility in North America for the Bridgestone Corp. The company stopped making tires for cars and light trucks at the plant in 2009, laying off roughly half of the workers at the time.
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