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Bridgestone said on Monday that it would suspend all manufacturing activities in Russia on Friday, March 18 and halt all exports in and out of that country with immediate effect until further notice.
Reacting to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Bridgestone said in a statement:
“Over the last weeks, we have been deeply affected by the war in Ukraine and its impact on many innocent people including our own employees and partners. We condemn any form of violence and hope that peace can quickly be re-established. Our primary concern in this crisis, is the safety of our employees and their families.
“Bridgestone has been carefully assessing the impact of this challenging situation. As a result, we decided to suspend our manufacturing activities in Russia, until further notice. The decision will take effect next Friday 18 March after the necessary preparations. The company has also decided to freeze any new investments and suspend all exports to Russia with immediate effect.
“We continue to care for our more than 1000 employees in our passenger tyre production plant in Ulyanovsk and our sales offices. Therefore, we will support our employees financially at this time.
“As the situation further unfolds, Bridgestone’s global and regional management will continue to closely monitor the situation and flexibly adapt plans when needed. We expect manufacturing output outside Russia to remain stable in the coming weeks.
“The last two weeks have transformed the world with more than two and half million people having already fled their homes. Many of our employees have participated in spontaneous volunteer activities to support the refugees from Ukraine. Bridgestone EMIA has made a 1 million Euro donation to the Red Cross, in addition to the 2.5 million Euro donated by Bridgestone Corporation to UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), and we will continue to evaluate how we can help alleviate the humanitarian crisis.”
