Bridgestone sells another carbon black plant
In early July, Bridgestone announced the sale of its technical carbon plant in Thailand, and a month later the company reported that it is selling another plant for the production of this key raw material for the tire industry, located in Mexico. The buyer is the American company Cabot, one of the world's leading producers of technical carbon.
The Mexican "daughter" of Bridestone, named Mexico Carbon Manufacturing S.A. de C.V. (MXCB), whose plant is located in the city of Altamira, Tamaulipas, was founded in 2005, and its staff consists of about 100 people. The assets were valued at $70 million, and the deal is expected to be closed within the next three to six months.
The enterprise is located in close proximity to the Cabot plant, which was opened 25 years ago in Altamira, where technical carbon is also produced, and under the terms of the agreement, the company will provide Bridgestone with long-term supplies of Mexican-made technical carbon.
"We are very pleased to be expanding our global network of reinforcing carbon materials production facilities and deepening our partnership with Bridgestone," said Cabot President and CEO Sean Keohane. "The acquisition of assets is in line with our strategy of developing in key markets and confirms our commitment to improving operational efficiency, and our many years of experience in the region and close ties with the local team will contribute to the smooth integration of the enterprise and its long-term success."
Bridgestone notes that it is optimizing its business to work with external suppliers of technical carbon wherever possible, using their specialized expertise and resources, and the company has been cooperating with Cabot since the 1950s, "establishing long-term trust relationships".
"By transferring the business, Bridgestone is responding to changes in the business environment and strengthening its competitiveness, and in the future, the company will continue to develop a reliable supply chain," the company says.
Bridgestone will continue to independently develop and produce strategic brands of technical carbon necessary for the production of high-tech products, such as premium tires and racing tires, and this will be done by Asahi Carbon, the company's "daughter" based in Japan.
Photo: european-rubber-journal.com