Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter and Bridgestone Americas officials today announced the company will invest $550 million in a major expansion and modernization project at its Warren County truck and bus radial tire plant in Morrison.
Bridgestone’s investment strengthens the global competitiveness of the company’s U.S. manufacturing operations and commitment to its U.S. labor force. Bridgestone will create 380 new jobs at its Warren County facility, increasing its existing headcount of 1,100 to more than 1,400, and bringing the total number of Bridgestone’s U.S. manufacturing workforce to nearly 10,000.
The 850,000-square-foot expansion is slated to begin before the end of the year, with construction expected to be substantially completed by May 2024. Once finished, the facility’s footprint will grow from 1.97 million square feet to 2.8 million square feet.
“This major expansion of Bridgestone highlights the tremendous success that businesses can have in Warren County,” said State Representative Rush Bricken. “An investment of this size will not only benefit our economy, but local residents who are seeking employment as well. I congratulate Bridgestone on this exciting announcement and look forward to the company’s bright future in Tennessee.”
Bridgestone’s Warren County expansion will support increased capacity and accelerate the use of advanced technologies that support cleaner, safer and more efficient commercial truck and bus fleets. The $550 million investment will allow for all tires made in Morrison to be equipped with RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, which will enable more efficient asset management and optimization of fleets’ investment in tires, including retreading. The plant will also incorporate technology for digital readiness in tires, including the integration of tire-mounted sensors that support advanced, data-driven insights for more efficient fleet management.
The Warren County plant is one of Bridgestone’s most productive operations globally. The plant has a long history of outstanding performance and best practices in manufacturing, with its 70 millionth tire produced in October 2021.
Since 2018, TNECD has supported 28 economic development projects in the Upper Cumberland region, resulting in more than 2,350 job commitments and $428 million in capital investment.
