TOKYO (Nov. 10, 2004) — Bridgestone Corp. reported strong growth in most of its geographical operating regions through the first nine months of fiscal 2004, yielding net income of $724 million on sales of $15.8 billion.
This is the first time the Tokyo-based tire maker has reported financials for the nine months, so comparisons with earlier years are not possible, the company said.
Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. recorded operating income of $235 million on sales of $6.8 billion (a 3.5-percent ratio), as passenger, light truck and medium truck tire sales in North America were strong in both the replacement and original equipment markets.
In addition, sales and earnings benefited from strong performances in diversified operations and in Latin American tire operations. The strong business trends offset the adverse effect on operating profitability of rising raw materials costs.
In Japan, Bridgestone recorded operating income of $726 million on sales of $6.8 billion (a 10.7-percent ratio), as domestic sales were up but exports were down.