Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC
Harvey S. Firestone, a fourth-generation farmer from Columbiana, Ohio, founded the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in 1900, in Akron, Ohio - a city that would later become known as `Rubber City.` At a time when manufacturers were focused on building tires for automobiles, Harvey has something more in mind/ He dreamed of putting rubber tires on farm tractors. Firestone soon began producing its own tires, and by 1906, sales passed the million-dollar mark and the brand was on its way to becoming a household name. By 1918, Firestone`s `Ship by Truck` movement pioneered the trucking industry and forever changed the shipping industry.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Agriculture
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
History
FIRESTONE TIRES – BUILDING ON A TRADITION OF
Harvey S. Firestone, a fourth-generation farmer from Columbiana, Ohio, founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in July 1900, in Akron, Ohio – a city that would later become known as “Rubber City.”
At a time when manufacturers were focused on building tires for automobiles, Harvey had something more in mind. He dreamed of putting rubber tires on farm tractors.
A DEDICATION TO AGRICULTURE
That vision materialized in 1932 when he produced the world’s first pneumatic tractor tire. With its smooth ride and superior traction, the new Firestone tire helped launch the most rapid and striking changes in farm equipment history.
Harvey’s effort to “put the farm on rubber” would play a significant role in the productivity of farmers around the world.
The innovation and performance that launched Firestone’s reputation in agriculture then, continues to build the brand today. It remains the leading farm tire brand in the U.S.
Along with building tires for tractors, the brand continues to builds tires for the full line of farm equipment, including flotation, irrigation and implement needs. And our research farm in Columbiana, Ohio – part of the original farm where Harvey Firestone grew up and worked as a young man – is the only facility of its kind dedicated exclusively to the development and testing of tires for the farm.
GLOBAL RESOURCES
Through all the change and growth in agriculture, Firestone never lost its focus on delivering high-performing, productive and best-serviced tires for the farm. Firestone brand farm tires today enjoy the global resources and technologies of Bridgestone Corporation – the largest tire and rubber company in the world. New chemistries, product development and manufacturing innovations from Bridgestone motorsports, retail, commercial and off-the-road units are incorporated into the tire products we build for the farm.
The ideals established by Harvey S. Firestone are embedded in the foundation of the Firestone brand – innovation, performance and service. We are committed to building durable, high-performance farm tires. We wouldn’t put Harvey’s name on anything less.
It is fitting that the Bridgestone Americas Tire O...
It is fitting that the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations manufacturing plant, which serves the needs of agriculture around the world, is located in Des Moines, Iowa – the heart of America’s farm belt.
Sitting on nearly 120 acres and with more than two million square feet under one roof, the plant is the largest ag tire manufacturing facility. The production from this plant supplies a significant percentage of the original equipment and replacement tires in the global ag market it serves. The facility also builds forestry and construction tires.
The facility employs approximately 1,500 people. Firestone brand tire builders undergo 12 weeks of rigorous training to learn the precision and craft required to manufacture farm, forestry and construction tires. They are uniquely skilled for the jobs they perform.
As a result of our worker craftsmanship and commitment to quality manufacturing, the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations plant was the first agricultural tire plant to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification. The ISO is a worldwide organization that sets operational and quality-control standards for businesses in more than 50 countries.
The certification ensures high quality tire production as well as giving Firestone tires recognition in international markets.