Bridgestone closes Australian manufacturing plant

[from oz]

Death knell for industry as Bridgestone closes doors

www.abc.net.au
23/10/2009

The decision to close Australia's last tyre manufacturing plant has been described as the death of another of the nation's industries.

The Japanese tyre giant Bridgestone today announced that it would close its Australian and New Zealand factories, leaving 600 people in Adelaide out of work and a further 275 without jobs in Christchurch.

Executives assured workers today that they would receive their full entitlements.

The board of directors of Bridgestone Australia says the factory, which has operated for 44 years, can no longer compete on the global market.

After 13 years working at Bridgestone's Salisbury plant in Adelaide, today's announcement was a bitter blow for Darren Iron.

"We thought we might be getting told that we're working through Christmas or longer holidays at Christmas, so yeah it was a bit of shock that they're closing the gates," he said.

more here

[from oz]

The irony of all this is that if you pick up the latest edition of Motor magazine, on the back is a full page ad by Bridgestone trumpeting the fact it is the only tyre manufacturer in Australia that produces on Australian soil.

Surely they must have known before doing these ads?!

[mattyman1010]

The NZ plant closed also which is sad but apparently they'll get pretty decent redundancy payouts. At least thats according to the news vid I saw.

[BlackGTP]

Originally Posted by from oz

The irony of all this is that if you pick up the latest edition of Motor magazine, on the back is a full page ad by Bridgestone trumpeting the fact it is the only tyre manufacturer in Australia that produces on Australian soil.

Surely they must have known before doing these ads?!

Probably trying to build up the idea that their tires are made locally, even though they are no longer people will still remember the ads (the people who don't read the papers and don't know that the plant is closed).

Beware of the tires from China made with below standard materials.

[diogenes_2009]

[quote=from oz;1879674]Death knell for industry as Bridgestone closes doors

www.abc.net.au
23/10/2009

The decision to close Australia's last tyre manufacturing plant has been described as the death of another of the nation's industries.

The Japanese tyre giant Bridgestone today announced that it would close its Australian and New Zealand factories, leaving 600 people in Adelaide out of work and a further 275 without jobs in Christchurch.



Why is anyone surprised that when a Japanese company has to shut down a plan it picks one that is outside Japan? After all when Toyota had to shut a plant it picked the NUMMI plant in the US.

[chinamonty]

Really with Mitsubishi closing it Adelaide plant I sort of expected this was on the cards. The tax incentives were probably removed so perhaps it is time to put a tariff on product imported by companies that have ceased local manufacture.