After a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus, the Bridgestone Dealers’ Dinner event on Saturday, 3 September at the ballroom of Oneº 15 Marina felt like a reunion of long lost friends and acquaintances. It was timely as well since it coincided with the company’s 21^st anniversary in Singapore as a national sales office.

While catching up with its dealers and media friends was reason enough, the event also provided a fascinating insight into the history of Bridgestone.

Since its founding in 1931, the company was guided by its mission statement: “Serving Society with Superior Quality”. To this day, Bridgestone Group continues to expand and evolve its business to meet the changing needs of society and continue supporting the mobility and lifestyles of individuals.

Another notable factoid was that the first manufacturing facility outside Japan for the tyre company was Bridgestone Malaysia which was founded in 1965. More interestingly, although the office name had ‘Malaysia’ in it, it was actually located in Singapore. It wouldn’t be until 2001 before Bridgestone re-established its local presence as a sales company in the City State.

The second foundation of Bridgestone was the merger with the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in 1988. 

‘Bridgestone 3.0’ began in 2020 by advancing initiatives to realize its vision. 

Committing to the future with E8

The evolution of Japanese tyre company is set to continue with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment. These stand for eight values that each begin with the letter E; 

• Energy – Committed to the realization of a carbon neutral mobility society.
• Ecology – Committed to advancing sustainable tire technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations.
• Efficiency – Committed to maximizing productivity through the advancement of mobility.
• Extension – Committed to nonstop mobility and innovation that keeps people and the world moving ahead.
• Economy – Committed to maximizing the economic value of mobility and business operations.
• Emotion – Committed to inspiring excitement and spreading joy to the world of mobility.
• Ease – Committed to bringing comfort and peace of mind to mobility life.
• Empowerment – Committed to contributing to a society that ensures accessibility and dignity for all.

With the Bridgestone E8 commitment, the company believes that this will put in place the long term plan for the company to build a sustainable society in time for its centenary jubilee in 2031.

Earlier this year, Shuichi Ishibashi, Global CEO of Bridgestone Corporation was pragmatic in this vision, recognizing that it would take a combined effort to achieve the goal that would benefit all. “The Bridgestone E8 Commitment cannot be accomplished by the Group alone. We believe that earning the empathy of many stakeholders such as society, our partners and customers, and co-creating value with them will enable us to realize and support a sustainable society.”

As Bridgestone nears its Centennial, it would be interesting to see how its vision develops to create a better society for all.