Turrialba, Costa Rica, August 4th, 2021 –
Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced today a US$2 million investment and expansion of its Firestone Industrial Products (FSIP) air springs production plant in Turrialba, Costa Rica, that will add more than 100 new jobs.
Operating in Costa Rica since 2009, Firestone Industrial Products currently employs 148 people. The company plans to begin hiring new teammates in the first half of 2022, a 40% increase in its employee base FSIP expects to continue to create new jobs in the coming years, reaching more than 230 employees by 2025, an increase of 55% compared to 2021.
By 2025, FSIP expects to have a production capacity four times higher than in 2021, reaching 2 million units.
Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado thanked the company for its confidence in this country over so many years and pointed this out as an excellent example of what we hope to achieve with our strategy for attracting foreign direct investment and jobs to the country’s different regions.
“Bridgestone Corporation’s new investment shows that communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) are capable of successfully accommodating large companies. These investments improve their competitiveness and contribute to regional development by incentivizing the local economy and creating quality jobs in both the short and long term”, President Alvarado said.
“We are very pleased with the decision to expand the Firestone Industrial Products plant in Costa Rica, located in Turrialba. During the past 12 years in the country, we have manufactured around seven million units and have invested more than US$25 million in our operations,” said José Joaquín Hernández, General Manager, FSIP Costa Rica. “Attributes such as the socio-economic climate, the level of specialization and the country’s strategic location have been key factors for the success and growth of our operations,” concluded Hernández.
Firestone Industrial Products chose Turrialba for its location in the country, due to its proximity to ports and higher-level educational institutions such as the University of Costa Rica, the National Institute of Learning and the Technological Institute of Costa Rica, which provide access to highly skilled employees.
Foreign Trade Minister, Andrés Valenciano, expressed his pleasure with the decision stating, “The development of areas outside the Greater Metropolitan Area has been one of the main tasks set by the administration, and we in the foreign trade sector have taken on the task of working hard to ensure inclusive economic growth in harmony with the environment, promoting quality jobs and reducing inequalities. In these twelve years of operation, Firestone has put its faith in Costa Rica, the northern region, and its people. Turrialba has the only plant in Central America, and this fills us with great pride. We celebrate the company’s decision to continue growing, since it not only will create formal, quality jobs for 100 people but also shows confidence in areas with high productive potential outside the greater metropolitan area. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, I’d like to congratulate the Firestone company on its continued reliance on Costa Ricans and the development of its manufacturing, and we have faith that it will continue to grow in the coming years.”
CINDE Managing Director, Jorge Sequeira, commented, “The creation of jobs outside the Greater Metropolitan Area continues to be one of our organization’s priorities. In 2020, an accumulated total of 3,660 jobs were recorded thanks to companies like Firestone, which in 2009 set up this plant in Turrialba and continues to grow. As a country, we need to prepare all our human talent with the skills needed for the new industry 4.0 so that we can successfully involve more people in areas outside the greater metropolitan area in the new economy.”
For those people who may be interested in applying for a job at FSIP Turrialba, please send a resume to reclutandotalento@fsip.com.
Costa Rica is as a key country for Bridgestone Americas, and the company currently has three operations in the country: Firestone Industrial Products in Turrialba, Bridgestone Americas Business Services Costa Rica, and the Bridgestone tire manufacturing plant in Costa Rica, both located in Heredia.
About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader providing sustainable mobility and advanced solutions. Bridgestone Americas develops, manufactures and markets a diverse portfolio of original equipment and replacement tires, tire-centric solutions, mobility solutions, and other rubber-associated and diversified products that deliver social value and customer value. Guided by its global corporate social responsibility commitment, Our Way to Serve, Bridgestone is dedicated to shaping a sustainable future of mobility and improving the way people move, live, work and play.
About Firestone Industrial Products.Firestone Industrial Products Company, LLC, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, specializes in air spring manufacturing and technology with a history of more than 80 years of research and development on technologically advanced air springs for the global marketplace. Firestone Industrial Products manufactures air springs and related products for commercial trucks and trailers, cars, sport utility vehicles, light trucks, mini vans, motor homes, buses, agricultural equipment, rail and industrial applications. The company has quality-certified manufacturing/assembly plants and technical centers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
About Firestone Industrial Products de Costa Rica, S.A.Firestone Industrial Products is located in Turrialba. It started operations on April 28, 2009 with the production of tire compensators (Air Springs) and rubber parts for vibration reduction (Marshmellows). In 2014, it started the operation of its third production line dedicated to the manufacture of parts used in tire assembly machines. Currently, it makes direct exports to the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Poland and China.
