600 jobs to go as Bridgestone bows out of Australia
The Age
Saturday October 24, 2009
MORE than 40 years of tyre production in Adelaide will end next year when Bridgestone closes its manufacturing facility, with 600 jobs axed.The company said on Friday it would also close a tyre production plant in Christchurch, New Zealand, with the loss of 275 jobs. The two plants are the last tyre manufacturing facilities in both countries. The Adelaide plant has been operating since 1965 and will close by the end of April 2010, while the Christchurch plant, open since 1947, will close by the end of this year. The company has promised workers their full entitlements.Bridgestone said despite efforts to improve cost competitiveness at both plants, global forces had made tyre manufacturing in Australia and New Zealand increasingly difficult."As the last tyre manufacturer in Australia and New Zealand, we have worked hard over many years to avoid today's decision," senior executive director Andrew Moffatt said in a statement."However, the unfortunate reality is that Bridgestone Australia can no longer commercially justify the continued operation of these facilities."We are proud of the fact that we have managed to keep these two manufacturing facilities open for so long and have provided employment and economic benefits to so many people over such a long period."Bridgestone said its distribution, customer service and retail networks, which employed about 1500 people, would not be affected. It planned to keep its headquarters in Adelaide.Mr Moffatt said the company would offer support services to workers who lost their jobs, including help to find alternative positions."It is our goal to help as many of our employees as possible gain alternative employment, either within the Bridgestone organisation or in the wider marketplace," he said.The company said it would also work with local government authorities in Adelaide and Christchurch to give some its land to local communities.
© 2009 The Age