BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (March 28, 2001)—Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. will lay off about 100 employees temporarily at its Bloomington plant beginning April 1.
The layoffs are a result of the downturn in demand for off-the-road (OTR) tires and the overall slowing in the economy, the company said in a statement.
The Bloomington plant produces off-the-road tires for virtually every application.
"Within the year, we hope that many of these employees will be called back to work as tire sales increase and as excess inventories of tires are depleted," said Ron Brooks, Bloomington´s plant manager. "The economic downturn has affected the entire OTR industry. This was an extremely difficult decision for us, but one we hope to change by the year´s end."