The Bridgestone Tire Company (株式会社ブリヂストン) was founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (石橋 正二郎) in the city of Kurume, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a literal translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese.

After World War II Bridgestone started manufacturing motorcycles, but its main income was from supplying tires to its rival motorcycle makers such as Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha and it was later decided to cease motorcycle manufacturing.

In 1988 it acquired American tire manufacturer Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.

Bridgestone supplies tires to the Ferrari, Jordan, Minardi and Sauber Formula One teams.

External links

• Official site

Data

• Yahoo! - Bridgestone Corporation Company Profile