RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Bridgestone plant in La Vergne closed earlier this month as production was suspended ahead of the July 31 closure date.

In January 2025, Bridgestone Americas, the group company of Bridgestone Corporation, announced it would close its La Vergne Truck and Bus Radial Tire Plant effective July 31, 2025.

The date was moved up to July 8 as the company told the 700 employees there was no need to return after the Fourth of July since production was already suspended.

The Rutherford County facility was Bridgestone’s first plant in the United States. The company claimed in a statement the decision to close was necessary to "adapt to the challenges of the business environment."

On July 2, Bridgestone announced to its LaVergne plant teammates that it is ceasing production operations effective immediately and teammates will continue to receive full pay and benefits until July 31, 2025. The Company had originally intended to cease production at the plant, effective July 31. The LaVergne team’s commitment to performance, efficiency and delivering on commitments enabled us to execute against the set targets earlier than anticipated. In the spirit of continuing to operate in good faith, teammates are being given the remainder of the month to transition either into retirement or a new career. There is no need for them to report back to the plant on July 8 after the Independence Day holiday since production is suspended.

Additionally, Bridgestone is working with local agencies on additional ways to help teammates who are interested in finding new employment. We are partnering with a local workforce agency to host a job fair on July 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Motlow State Community College (502 Motlow College Blvd., Smyrna).

Negotiations with the United Steelworkers are ongoing.

Bridgestone Americas

Bridgestone is the biggest tire company in the world and its CEO admitted to having to deal with high costs across the globe as well, which weighed heavily.

“Decisions like this are not easy because of the impact it has on our teammates and their families, and at the same time we are optimizing our business footprint for the future,” said Scott Damon, Chief Executive Officer, Bridgestone West and Group president, Bridgestone Americas. “We are confident that this decision will strengthen our core business, enabling us to operate more efficiently.”

Global tire analyst David Shaw told News 2 its not just Bridgestone that’s struggling. Other major manufacturers are also struggling to compete and keep costs down.

"What's going on is that the traditional names that we all know, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin, they they've allowed their expenses to get out of control. At the same time as a lot of companies based in India and China have brought their technology up to the same level, and they've kept their costs down. So what we're seeing now is quite a big difference in price between those famous brands, but a much smaller difference in technology between the big brands and the the newer brands," explained Shaw.

Shaw believes organized labor is good, and admitted it can go over the top, which he said may have been the case in the Bridgestone situation.

"I truly believe in organized labor when that power of organized labor is used responsibly to work with management. And I think in this case, unfortunately, I think there were a series of strikes. They tried to get a little bit more out of Bridgestone management, and ended up being penalized for that. And I think that kind of changed the attitude amongst Bridgestone management."

A job fair for Bridgestone employees was held earlier this month with 40 educational institutions and businesses. La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole said the city is working with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce and other partners to bring in high quality, industrial and commercial businesses.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/bridgestone-plant-in-la-vergne-closes-ahead-of-schedule/