Bridgestone 2009 Annual Report Download - page 17

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SPECIALTY TIRES
Specialty tires are strategic products that showcase Bridgestone’s
technological advancements and clearly demonstrate the Group’s
competitive advantage. This market requires highly advanced
technological capabilities and a large initial investment.
Consequently, we anticipate that we will be able to maintain our
competitive leadership position.
ULTRALARGEOFF-THE-ROADRADIALTIRES
Ultralarge off-the-road radial tires are primarily used on mining
vehicles. The production of mined resources continues to increase
throughout the world, and as a result the market for mining
equipment is expected to record continuing growth. In order to
address this demand, we began production of off-the-road radial
tires at the newly opened Kitakyushu Plant in June 2009, three
months ahead of schedule. We plan to continue investing resources
in this market in order to further increase our market share.
AIRCRAFTRADIALS
The Bridgestone Group is one of the world’s few suppliers of radial
aircraft tires, while the introduction of next-generation aircraft is
driving a shift to the use of radial tires.
Currently, Bridgestone is supplying tires for large aircraft with
100 or more seats, and in January 2010, the Group announced
that it was selected to supply tires for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet,
a regional jet in the 70- to 90-seat class. This achievement offers a
prime opportunity to further expand the scope of the company’s
aircraft radial tire business. Taking advantage of this opportunity,
we will continue to focus on increasing our market share.
FEATURESANDADVANTAGESOFREVOLUTIONARY
REINFORCEDRADIAL(RRR)
1. Reducedfuelconsumptionandenhancedcost
management
The advanced radial construction with high-elastic
modulus/strength cords reduces the weight of the tires,
thereby resulting in greater fuel efciency.
The advanced radial construction will also result in higher-
abrasion resistance, allowing for more landings of the
aircraft before tire replacement, thus contributing to better
cost control while maintaining quality.
2.Enhancedsafety
Through the use of RRR construction (which provides
outstanding durability), these tires will offer enhanced
safety in comparison with tires not featuring the RRR
construction.
15Annual Report 2009