Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand has provided an insight into its future as a ‘sustainable solutions company’ at the 60th anniversary celebrations of Bandag’s local manufacturing.
Bridgestone is in the midst of its transformation towards being a sustainable solutions company, which sees the convergence of new business strategies and the acceleration of technology to support the development of sustainable mobility solutions.
A suite of mobility solutions will see Bridgestone work closely with fleet customers and retail consumers to optimise their fleets and vehicles through effective product choice, maintenance regimes, mobile services, sustainable product life cycle management, and the introduction of new business models and technology.
As well as highlighting the importance of retreads for the future at Bandag’s diamond jubilee, Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Heath Barclay, shared that the company’s plans are well developed, and over the coming few years the market can expect a significant emphasis on solutions.
“Bridgestone has an industry leading reputation for best in class, or ‘Dan-Totsu’ products in the truck and bus market, and our global Mid-Long Term Business Strategy is to build on our credentials as a tyre manufacturer and supplier to become a sustainable solutions provider,” Mr Barclay said.
“Our mobility solutions offering is being developed in collaboration with the industry – through our partners and customers to understand and address the pain points. This focus on business solutions beyond tyre sales will enable our customers to operate fleets more efficiently and in a more economical manner through ease of operations.”
As part of the execution of the Mid-Long Term Business strategy, Bridgestone ANZ has been working in the background to build a foundation for its mobility solutions business with the introduction of a new Solutions Department within the company, headed up by Solutions Director, Stefano Parisi.
“This is one of the biggest fundamental shifts in the company’s history, both locally and globally, and we knew that a key factor in its success was ensuring we have the right structure, starting with our people,” Mr Barclay added.
“The appointment of Stefano Parisi to the role of Solutions Director is integral to our transformation as we take the next step in our evolution, and highlights the global collaborations our local market is benefiting from.”
Parisi brings nearly 25 years of tyre industry and solutions experience to the role, and prior to joining Bridgestone ANZ was the Managing Director for the Southern Region of Bridgestone Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (BSEMIA).
In his role as Solutions Director, Parisi is overseeing the integration and streamlining of Bridgestone ANZ’s mobility solutions strategy, focussing on the areas of fleet business, consumer, mobile maintenance, and retreading and recycling.
He is also heading up the development of the local integration of Bridgestone’s core acquisitions over the past three years, starting with the global purchase of the Webfleet Solutions (formerly TomTom Telematics), and the purchase of mobile mechanical service provider, Lube Mobile, in Australia.
“Bridgestone has a range of offerings to support various sectors of the market: convenient, mobile servicing for consumers and passenger vehicle fleets through Lube Mobile, data and telematics through Webfleet Solutions, and sustainable tyre solutions through the Bandag retread business,” Mr Parisi explained.
“The development of the sustainable mobility solutions offering is centred around customers’ needs and the appropriate business model, product mix, use of technology, and servicing for their requirements. Australia & New Zealand is a key market for the development of Bridgestone’s global plans and we’re in the process of applying the learnings from markets like Europe and America to our market’s unique set of circumstances.”
The focus on mobility solutions is considered as Bridgestone’s third foundation, Bridgestone 3.0, which builds on the company’s inception in 1931 (Bridgestone 1.0) and the ‘globalisation’ of the company in 1988 through its merger with Firestone (Bridgestone 2.0). The development of the Mid-Long Term Business Strategy outline’s the company’s roadmap towards 2050 and how the company will continue to add social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company.
“Bridgestone was founded as a tyre company, and right now the company is transforming in line with the Bridgestone 3.0 strategy, building on our products through retail and service offerings, and now the addition of mobility solutions through close collaboration with our customers. We are well on our way to achieving our long-term vision of being a sustainable solutions provider,” Mr Parisi said.
“We have a robust roadmap for the next generation of Bridgestone and Firestone products, complemented by the Bandag retread offering. Our market leading product combined with the integration of new technologies supports our offering of sustainable solutions for our customers. Further to this, the development of usage-based business models, for example price-per-kilometre, will broaden our core offerings, meeting the needs of our customers and adding value to their business,” he added.
The mobility solutions program is a key example of how Bridgestone is co-creating value with our customers, inline with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, particularly in the values of efficiency, extension, economy and ease.
About the Bridgestone E8 commitment:
The Bridgestone E8 Commitment was launched this year, committed to creating value through Bridgestone-like “purpose” and “process,” together with employees, society, its partners, and customers to realise a sustainable society. This will serve as the axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations.
Made up of eight values: Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease and Empowerment, the Bridgestone E8 Commitment is designed to create purpose and process for the company, partners and customers towards the development of a more sustainable society.
