The Los Angeles Post

Bridgestone Introduces New Global Innovation Campus to Cultivate Next Generation of Advanced, Sustainable Solutions

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TOKYO, November 28, 2019 — Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced plans to create Bridgestone Innovation Park, a global center of research, development and wellness that will help the company accelerate its transformation into a global leader in advanced mobility and sustainable solutions for a world in motion. The multi-year project involves a major reconstruction to the company’s existing operations in Kodaira, Japan, and will include four new facilities set to open over the next four years.

“The world is rapidly evolving and Bridgestone must be ready to meet the needs of the next generation with advanced and sustainable solutions for mobility and beyond,” said Masaaki Tsuya, chairman of the board, chief executive officer and representative executive officer, Bridgestone Corporation. “Bridgestone Innovation Park will be the cornerstone of our company’s next chapter as we focus on innovation that contributes to society’s advancement and creates new value for our customers, our partners, and the world around us.”

Bridgestone Innovation Park will be designed to foster the flexibility and creativity needed to support a more inclusive and connected society over the next 50 years while operating with the same core values and philosophy that have made Bridgestone successful for the past 90 years. In the 1960’s, Bridgestone’s founder, Shojiro Ishibashi, built the company’s former Tokyo plant and technology center in Kodaira to create an inclusive, active and healthy local community that valued the surrounding environment. His efforts to promote mobility, people, and the environment are still celebrated today through the company’s “Our Way to Serve” global corporate social responsibility commitment, which helps guide Bridgestone to improve the way people move, live, work and play within its long-standing mission of “Serving Society with Superior Quality.”

The next generation of the company’s Kodaira footprint will bring these values to life through four primary facilities, which together comprise Bridgestone Innovation Park. The first facility is scheduled to open in June 2020, with the anticipated full schedule as follows:

  • Bridgestone Innovation Gallery (Formerly Bridgestone TODAY): Museum dedicated to Bridgestone history and innovation initiatives; designed to engage customers, partners and the local community through the Bridgestone story. (Scheduled to open in May 2020)
  • B-Innovation: Next-generation innovation and collaboration lab empowering joint creation with various internal and external stakeholders. (Scheduled to open in November 2021)
  • B-Mobility: Demonstration and testing facility to promote agile product development; will include several courses and data analysis capabilities. (Scheduled to open in November 2021)
  • Bridgestone AHL Arena: Barrier-free activity center providing access to sports for people of all ages and abilities; designed to promote a more diverse and inclusive society in alignment with the company’s Active Healthy Lifestyle (AHL) values and its Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partnerships. (Scheduled to open in March 2022)

The development of Bridgestone Innovation Park is one of several significant milestones in the next year that signify the company’s transformation. As a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, Bridgestone also will showcase many of its advanced mobility solutions and services in support of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 – which will be held in its global hometown.