Bridgestone 2004 Annual Report Download - page 19

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17
Regional Review
Europe. They numbered about 1,100 at the end of 2004, and we plan to increase that number to
2,000 by 2009.
We also operate directly owned retail outlets in Europe. Those outlets number about 300, and
they are mainly in Spain and France. We are expanding our network of directly owned stores gradu-
ally to support our European marketing effort.
Our profile has risen steadily in Europe, helped by our success in Formula One competition, and
we will work to raise our market visibility further. We will strive to build a stronger corporate image
by exhibiting at international motor shows, by advertising in print and broadcast media and
through outdoor signage and displays, and by holding events and campaigns to promote tire safety
and runflat tires.
In the truck and bus sector, we are making the most of the excellent reputation of our tires for
retreadability and durability. Our efforts include expanding and upgrading our Truck Point net-
work of outlets for providing tires and service to large fleet operators. The Truck Point network
comprised about 1,800 outlets throughout Europe at the end of 2004, and we plan to increase that
number to 2,000 by 2009.
Business in diversified products will be an increasingly important facet of our European operations.
A Bridgestone plant under construction in Poland will build rubber tracks for earthmoving equip-
ment. The plant is to serve rising European demand for rubber tracks amid continuing global
growth in demand for construction machinery. It will be in southwestern Poland, near the city of
Wroclaw. Plans call for the plant to begin operation in July 2006 and for its production capacity to
reach about 26,000 tracks a year in 2007.
Also in Poland, a new Bridgestone Group plant in Wolsztyn began producing air springs for truck
trailers in December 2004. The new plant serves fast-growing European demand for those products.
We are expanding our production capacity for
truck and bus tires in Europe, as in other
regions. Our main European plant for truck
and bus tires is in Bilbao, Spain.
Rubber tracks for off-the-road equipment
are part of our sales portfolio in Europe, as
in other regions. The new Polish plant for
producing rubber tracks will strengthen our
European competitiveness in that product
sector.
We recently teamed with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s FIA
Foundation in conducting road-safety educational activities around the world. The
Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body of Formula
One racing and other international motorsports. Its FIA Foundation supports and
manages activities for promoting road safety, environmental protection, and
sustainable mobility. The foundation also funds research aimed at improving
motorsport safety. We will furnish the FIA Foundation with pamphlets that
explain the importance of routine tire maintenance and with gauges for measur-
ing tire pressure and tread depth. The foundation will distribute those pamphlets
and gauges through wide-ranging activities for promoting road safety. In the
photo, Bridgestone CEO Shigeo Watanabe poses with the FIA’s President Max
Mosley and the road-safety mascot at the Geneva International Motor Show in
March 2005.
Diversified initiatives