NEW DELHI: Bridgestone India plans to further consolidate its position in the domestic market by establishing another greenfield plant. It is considering various locations, including Tamil Nadu.

Talking to The Hindu after inaugurating the company's 100th retail outlet under the brand, Bridgestone Performance Club, Bridgestone India Managing Director Hisao Ikawa said the company could invest $50-100 million (about Rs. 225-450 crore) in setting up the greenfield plant of the size and scale of its existing plant at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Although the strategy envisaging another plant in India was yet to be given a finishing touch, he said it appeared that establishment of such a plant was inevitable if the company were to meet the challenges of growing demand for tyres and maintain its market share at the current level of 30 per cent.

Mr. Ikawa said the Indore plant capacity could go up to 15,000 from 9,000 tyres a day. There was scope for establishing the second plant at the current location, he said, but did not rule out another location as he mentioned that it could well be in Chennai. He said the OEM market had now a larger share but over the years the trend would reverse with the replacement market accounting for a larger share. "The quality of the product will continue to be our priority", he said.

Bridgestone, which had started its India operations in 1996 with an initial capacity to produce 4,000 tyres a day, would add another 100 Bridgestone Performance Clubs across the country

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