Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has broken ground on a project to expand its passenger tyre manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina.

The company will invest $164m in the project, which will expand the 42-year-old facility by incorporating advanced technology, expanding production capacity and reducing costs.

The first and second phase of the investment, valued about $100m in total, will add 167,000 sq ft of manufacturing space to house new tyre assembly machines, materials handling systems, curing presses and associated equipment.

This will increase plant capacity by 3,000 tyres daily, bringing daily production to 35,000 by 2018. The new equipment will also help the plant meet increasing global demand for higher rim size tyres, enhance quality and productivity, as well as lower costs.

Bridgestone Wilson plant manager Michael Darr said: “Today is a momentous day for all of us at the Wilson plant and across Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, as we break ground on this important expansion that will allow us to grow our production and manufacturing capabilities to meet the changing needs of our customers.”