Bridgestone on Tuesday announced a $2 million investment and expansion of its Firestone facilities in Turrialba, which the company says will create at least 100 new jobs.
“We are very satisfied with the decision to expand the Firestone Industrial Products plant located in Turrialba. During the last 12 years in the country, we have manufactured around seven million units and we have invested more than $25 million in our operations,” said José Joaquín Hernández, General Manager of Firestone Industrial Products in Costa Rica.
“Attributes such as the socioeconomic climate, the level of specialization and the strategic location of the country have been key factors for the success and growth of our operations.”
Firestone is a subsidiary of Bridgestone. The company, with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, produces automobile tires and other rubber-based products. In Costa Rica, Firestone plans to expand its manufacturing of air springs by 400% by 2025.
Bridgestone/Firestone has had operations in Costa Rica since 2009 and currently employs 148 people. The company expects to hire new employees starting in 2022 with the goal of surpassing 230 workers by 2025.
“The Bridgestone Corporation’s new investment demonstrates that communities outside of the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) have the ability to successfully host large businesses. These investments improve their competitiveness conditions and contribute to regional development by encouraging the local economy and generating quality jobs in the short and long term,” said President Carlos Alvarado.
People who are interested in applying for a job at Firestone in Turrialba can send their CV to [email protected].
Bridgestone Americas operates three facilities in Costa Rica: Firestone Industrial Products (Turrialba), Bridgestone Americas Business Services (Heredia) and the Bridgestone tire manufacturing plant (Heredia).
In addition to Firestone, Turrialba is home to the Rawlings factory, which produces baseballs for Major League Baseball.
