Manufacturing
Bridgestone Tire Plant - Joliette, Quebec
The Joliette plant opened on October 11, 1966. Between 1966 and 2002, the number of employees has grown from 360 to 1060.
Like all Bridgestone plants, the Joliette facility employs rigorous quality control systems:
Complete quality assurance measures at every step of the manufacturing process.
An early detection system for identifying irregularities.
Originally producing 3,500 tires a day, production has risen to 15,000 tires per day. As of 2002, a total of more than 81 million tires have been produced since the plant opened. The annual economic benefits of the Joliette plant for the Lanaudiere region have been estimated at more than $36 million.
Since the acquisition of Firestone by Bridgestone in 1990, $275 million has been invested to maintain the plant on the leading edge of technology.
In 2001, Bridgestone Canada injected $36 million into the plant to acquire new equipment for various production lines. The project received $2.5 million in funding from Investissement Quebec. This investment allows the plant to extend the line of tires it produces (sizes and private brands) for car, light truck and SUVs.
The plant currently employs 1060 people in the 1 million square foot facility, 96% of whom live in the Lanaudiere region. |
