Still reeling from a huge tire recall and the end of its long relationship with the Ford Motor Company, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. Said today that it planned to close one of its biggest tire factories. Descargar torrent juegos. The factory, in Decatur, Ill., was singled out last August when Firestone recalled about 6.5 million tires after growing concerns about crashes of Ford Explorers equipped with its products. About 1,500 employees, mostly union workers and many with more than 20 years of experience, will probably lose their jobs. The closing of the plant, which can produce more than seven million tires a year and accounts for 10 percent of the company's production, underscores just how difficult business has become for Bridgestone/Firestone, which is facing an industrywide downturn and persistent questions about the safety of its tires. Company officials said the decision to close the factory was driven solely by economics and not because Decatur had once been cited as a major source of problem tires. Bridgestone Firestone Employee WebsiteThe company said that it had too much capacity and that Decatur was the oldest of its eight plants and would be the most expensive to upgrade. Firestone spent about $60 million in improvements for the sprawling plant in recent years. At a news conference in Tokyo today, where the plant closing was first announced, Hiroshi Kanai, the managing director in charge of finance at Bridgestone, said it would be too costly to retain a 59-year-old plant. 'You are talking about a plant where if you don't do anything, the roof will fall down,' he said. Bridgestone/Firestone said it would take a $210 million charge to cover the cost of closing the Decatur factory. To complete the shutdown by December, as planned, the company must negotiate terms with the United Steelworkers of America, which represents the tire makers. Bridgestone Americas and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone, Firestone.Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability - Bridgestone Retail Operations Employee Type Regular Full-Time Degree. Bridgestone/Firestone laid off about 1,100 factory workers, or about 10 percent of its work force in the United States, seven months ago. And a month ago, Ford announced that it would spend $3 billion to replace about 13 million Firestone tires because of safety concerns. Ford's action led to a sharp rebuke from Firestone, which insists its tires are safe. Firestone executives said Ford ignored evidence that indicated the instability of the Ford Explorer played a crucial role in bringing about 174 deaths in numerous accidents the last few years. Firestone also decided to stop selling tires to Ford, ending a century-old relationship.
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