Established in the country in 1969, Bridgestone tires have become known throughout Thailand as the quality standard. Today, the company dominates the Thai tire market – with a 55 percent share. Both the domestic and international export markets continue to rely on Thai Bridgestone to deliver products of the highest quality.

The road taken by Thai Bridgestone has not always been smooth and the economic crisis of 1997 brought about significant changes. Domestic demand for tires dropped by 50 percent and the company therefore decided to increase its export business. As a result, domestic sales now account for 70 percent of Thai Bridgestone’s total sales, while the company exports 30 percent of its products to over 60 countries worldwide. The Thai subisidiary’s managing director, Tomohiko Yoshimoto, shares his vision for the future of the company: “My goal is to establish a solid sales channel and strengthen Bridgestone’s retail business. I arrived here with a fresh outlook, and within a few years we intend to change the way we do things. Thailand manufacturers are competitive at the moment, but in the future we will have to compete with China. I believe Thai Bridgestone can produce products of the same quality as in Japan.”

Tomohiko Yoshimoto, managing director of Thai Bridgestone

Indeed, Thai Bridgestone’s Nong Khae Plant employs the most advanced tire manufacturing equipment and technology and boasts the first tire testing track in Thailand. It is modelled on Bridgestone’s world-class facility in Japan. Yoshimoto is convinced Thailand can compete on a global level as long as action is taken to increase productivity. The Nong Khae Plant currently produces 8.6 million tires a year, with plans to increase capacity to nearly 12 million. By the second half of 2004, Bridgestone also intends to build a third plant to produce radial tires for trucks and buses.

When asked about the image of Bridgestone in Thailand, Yoshimoto declares: “Creativity promotes the creation of a quality image, and quality and safety are clearly important in continuing to build on the Bridgestone brand. My feeling is that image and awareness are different. We have created high awareness of our products, but we want people to have an excellent image of this brand in the domestic market as well. In order to do this, we must be more concerned with making the company’s reputation for quality known to the end user.”

“We are seeing tremendous success. I want to establish a strong structure throughout the company and I am convinced we can keep our current market share and continue our healthy operations in Thailand,” Yoshimoto adds confidently. “I want the company to become an excellent company, not just by increasing market share and sales volume, but through strengthening each area of our business.”

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