| Revision as of 20:39, 30 June 2006 edit207.45.131.11 (talk) →History← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:40, 30 June 2006 edit undo207.45.131.10 (talk) →HistoryNext edit → | ||
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| The company was purchased off the stock market by the Japanese tire manufacturer ] in ]. | The company was purchased off the stock market by the Japanese tire manufacturer ] in ]. | ||
| The combined Bridgestone/Firestone North American operations are now based in ]. | The combined Bridgestone/Firestone North American operations are now based in ]. | ||
| After the merger, allegations of defective tire designs continued, especially in 2000, when an abnormally high failure rate in their Wilderness AT, Firestone ATX, and ATX II tires resulted in multiple lawsuits, as well as an eventual mandatory recall. Ford has since stopped equipping its pickup trucks, SUVs and full-sized vans with Firestone tires. However, passenger cars such as the Ford Focus and Mercury Cougar bore Firestone tires as original equipment. | |||
| For 35 years, the company sponsored the radio and television show '']''. | For 35 years, the company sponsored the radio and television show '']''. | ||
Revision as of 20:40, 30 June 2006
| File:BFlogo.gif | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 1954 in Miami, Florida |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Key people | Mark A. Emkes, CEO |
| Products | Tires |
| Revenue |  $2.09 billion USD (2004) |
| Number of employees | 23,000 |
| Website | www.firestone.com |
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded by Harvey Firestone in the late 19th century to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles and befriended Henry Ford, the first industrialist to produce them using the techniques of mass production. Firestone used this relationship to become the original equipment supplier of Ford Motor Company automobiles, and was also active in the replacement market.
History
Firestone was originally based in Akron, Ohio, also the hometown of its archrival, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Together, the two companies were the largest suppliers of automotive tires in North America for over three-quarters of a century. The family had decided in 1984 to look for a purchaser and began liquidating assets at that time.
The company was purchased off the stock market by the Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone in 1988. The combined Bridgestone/Firestone North American operations are now based in Nashville, Tennessee.
For 35 years, the company sponsored the radio and television show The Voice of Firestone.
TV ad jingle
- Wherever wheels are rolling
- No matter what the load,
- The name that's known
- Is Firestone
- Where the rubber meets the road
Notes