Bridgestone to build [euro]180 million OTR tyre plant in Japan.(News)

Bridgestone Corp. plans to build a plant for large off-the-road tyres in Japan over the coming two-and-a-half years at a cost of [yen]28 500 million ([euro]180 million) to support growing demand for the tyres used in mining and construction.

Bridgestone will build the plant on a 87-hectare site adjacent to its existing Shimonoseki plant in Fukuoka Prefecture. The plant, due on stream in the second half of 2009, will have a daily capacity of 30 tonnes of compounded rubber at full capacity by 2010, Bridgestone said.

The tyre maker has budgeted an additional [ye