NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tire manufacturer Bridgestone Americas is closing its LaVergne, Tennessee, truck and bus radial tire plant and laying off 700 workers there, the company announced in a news release.
Bridgestone said the closure will help the company “optimize its business footprint” and “strengthen its competitiveness.”
In addition, Bridgestone announced capacity and workforce reductions at its Des Moines, Iowa, agriculture tire plant and additional workforce reductions in U.S. sales and operations. In Latin America, it plans reductions in workforce and production capacity in Argentina and Brazil. A spokesperson for Bridgestone did not immediately respond to questions on Friday morning about the extent of those reductions.
Some employees at the Des Moines site were recently notified they could take a voluntary resignation in lieu of a furlough or layoff.
In a statement on Jan. 8, the company said:
“Bridgestone regularly evaluates all aspects of its business to ensure we remain competitive and that resources are allocated in a manner that best supports our business strategy. On January 6, we notified local United Steelworkers (USW) leadership at our Des Moines Ag Tire Plant that we will be implementing a voluntary separation option due to ongoing demand constraints in the agriculture tire sector. Bridgestone will continue to monitor current market conditions and future forecasts across all of our businesses to review production schedules and adjust as conditions warrant.”
Bridgestone told Local 5 on Friday, “these are related to actions already underway at the plant that outlets reported on previously.”
The LaVergne plant was the first tire-producing facility in North America for the Bridgestone Corporation. The company stopped making tires for cars and light trucks at the plant in 2009, laying off roughly half of the workers at the time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report