France offers Bridgestone €100 million to save the plant

On Monday October 19, the French government presented Bridgestone with a rescue plan for a Japanese tire manufacturer in northern France. This was announced by the Minister of Industry of the country Agnes Pannier-Runacher (Agnes Pannier-Runacher). According to her, Bridgestone, which announced its intention to close the Bethune tire plant a month ago, is ready to study the proposal.

The plan envisages the provision of financial assistance to the plant in the amount of about 100 million euros, which will save more than half of the current 863 jobs at the company.

A project to save 460 to 560 jobs at the Bethune plant could be implemented with the participation of Accenture. The scenario provides an opportunity to maintain production of 3 million tires at the plant and avoid significant job cuts. It envisages restructuring, investments of 100 million euros and a 25-40% increase in productivity.

In mid-September, Bridgestone said the closure of its Bethune tire plant was the only way for the company to reduce excess capacity in Europe and remain competitive.

At the moment, Bridgestone has not responded to the minister's proposal.

French politician Xavier Bertrand, head of the Haute-de-France Council and the Conservative candidate for the 2022 presidential election, said he needed a quick response from the company. “If the answer is no, we will fight to maximize the benefit to the plant employees,” he told a press conference. “Bridgestone should not slam the door in our face as it did from the beginning.”