Bridgestone opens race tire production plant in Akron

AKRON — Racing legend Mario Andretti joked that an IndyCar racer never wants to second guess his tires when he is going into a corner at 250 mph. Andretti, the only driver to ever win the Indy 500, Daytona 500 and the Formula One World Championship, was driving the point home that there is an institutional trust and quality to Firestone racing tires.

Two and half years after Bridgestone Americas Inc. gave a tour to media of the Advanced Tire Production Center (ATPC) in its initial stages, the first new tire production facility in the Akron area for more than 70 years is ready to go.

Bridgestone invested $21 million into the ATPC, where the company will manufacture all Firestone Firehawk race tires for the NTT IndyCar Series. Bridgestone is the exclusive tire supplier for the series through 2025.

Bridgestone celebrated the grand opening of its new facility, which will employ 60 tire builders and professionals, on June 22. Overall, the company employs more than 600 in the Akron area.

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"The new ATPC is a reflection of both our proud history in Akron and racing, while also exemplifying our company's vision for sustainability in all aspects of our business," Paolo Ferrari, president and CEO, Bridgestone Americas, said. "For more than a century, Akron has been where our most advanced tires have been conceived, designed and built, and now we are furthering this legacy in a more sustainable production environment where the world's best engineers, technicians and master tire builders will shape the future of tires and racing."

The new ATPC, the company said, continues a legacy of tire manufacturing in Akron that began with the founding of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1900.

"ATPC is a testament to the incredible partnership and collaboration of Bridgestone leaders, teammates, local elected officials and the Akron community," said Steve Kinkade, vice president of communications, Bridgestone Americas.

Bridgestone invested more than $21 million to build its new home for race tire production, which includes both new construction and the redevelopment of an existing structure. Across the street from the Bridgestone Americas Technology Center (BATC) — one of three major research and development (R&D) centers for Bridgestone globally— the 80,000 square-foot ATPC features state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies to advance innovation in race tires, according to the company.

The grand opening of the ATPC aligns with the Bridgestone E-8 Commitment, the company said, which establishes eight values starting with the letter "E" to solidify Bridgestone's commitment to a more sustainable world. The start of operations at the new ATPC aligns with the "Emotion" and "Energy" values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment.

"What we do now is really going to shape how we gain the trust of the future generation," Ferrari said.

Designed for more efficient and sustainable race tire production, the new ATPC uses 60% less energy than the company's previous race tire manufacturing facility. Part of the initiatives include a more compact building footprint, insulated roofing, a more efficient boiler system, and high-mounted LED lighting throughout the plant.

Additionally, Bridgestone has purchased carbon offsets to cover the balance of its energy use to achieve carbon neutral operations at the ATPC. The company has a global goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The ATPC is part of a series of investments Bridgestone is making in its Akron operations. In November 2021, the company announced a $6 million investment for the construction of a new test track adjacent to the ATPC to support passenger tire testing and development.

The test track is scheduled to be completed later this year.

Bridgestone has invested more than $125 million in its Akron operations since 2012, when the company opened the Bridgestone Americas Technology Center.

To celebrate the facility's opening, Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan, Summit County executive Ilene Shapiro and Ohio Rep. Emilia Sykes joined Bridgestone leaders, employees and media at a grand opening event held at the facility. Andretti, who started his career on Firestone tires nearly 60 years ago, was also in attendance.

"I'd like to thank Bridgestone for their ongoing commitment to the city of Akron," Horrigan said. "Akron's history is undoubtedly intertwined with Bridgestone's, and I'm honored to help open the new Advanced Tire Production Center here. I look forward to Bridgestone's continued success in Akron."

Each season, more than 25,000 Firestone Firehawk race tires made in Akron are supplied to the NTT IndyCar Series. Drivers are given 10 sets of tires per race.

Cara Krstolic, director of race tire engineering and production at Bridgestone Americas, said post-race, the Firestone team studies the tires before Bridgestone recycles them as fuel. Krstolic said the fuel, in part, is "used to power Indianapolis."

Part of Bridgestone since 1988, Firestone has been the exclusive tire supplier for the premier open-wheel racing series in North America for the past 23 seasons, and its history in racing dates back to winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.

"Here at Firestone, Harvey Firestone really realized the importance of racing that very first (Indy 500). The racing platform provided the opportunity for a brand not only to provide a proving ground for our tire development but also for a promotional platform for the tires," Krstolic previously told Tire Business in 2020.

Firestone also announced it will become the sole tire supplier for the Indy Lights Series starting in 2023. The ATPC will manufacture all tires for that series, as well.

"We're super excited about that," Krstolic said. Bridgestone previously sponsored the race series from 1991 to 2013. "Roger Penske (owner of IndyCar) came to us and said, 'hey what's it going to take to get you guys to come back?'" Krstolic said the team agreed to return as a sponsor in 2023.

"It's really exciting because we have a lot of young developmental drivers. ... And as they develop, they learn our tires," Krstolic said.

The ATPC also will manufacture small batches of specialty, prototype tires for testing and development purposes for both racing and on-road applications.

Looking ahead, Krstolic said the ATPC team also is working on a hybrid race tire project.

"The exciting thing about IndyCar is we're going to have a hybrid car that is going to have capacitors in the bell housing. It's a really great design for the hybrid — if they stall on the racetrack, they will be able to restart again and not have to wait for safety to get there," Krstolic said. "It adds a lot of weight moving forward in the car, so we've looked at some redesigns, new construction of compounds."

The company "ran" the compounds in a recent Mid-Ohio race, she added.

The ATPC has already started producing tires, and the team expects to be fully "moved in" to the new facility by the end of the year.