Bandag Officials Organize New Business

Bandag officials announced March 31 the organization of Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions, a new business that will expand the focus of the company’s operation in Muscatine, Iowa. For 50 years, Bandag has made retread truck tires and sold them around the world. In June 2007, the company, which has more than 330 employees in Muscatine, was acquired by Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. for $1.05 billion and began operating as Bridgestone Bandag LLC. The move announced Monday will combine sales and marketing for the Bridgestone truck tire group and Bandag.

From the Muscatine Journal

MUSCATINE, Iowa — Bandag officials announced March 31 the organization of Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions, a new business that will expand the focus of the company’s operation in Muscatine, Iowa.

For 50 years, Bandag has made retread truck tires and sold them around the world. In June 2007, the company, which has more than 330 employees in Muscatine, was acquired by Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. for $1.05 billion and began operating as Bridgestone Bandag LLC.

The move announced Monday will combine sales and marketing for the Bridgestone truck tire group and Bandag.

The positions of four employees in Muscatine have been eliminated, Bandag spokesman Bill Block said.

He said the reorganization reaffirms the commitment of Bridgestone Americas to keep one of its business headquarters in Muscatine. Bridgestone Americas has other businesses with headquarters in larger cities such as Des Moines, Indianapolis, Bloomington, Ill., and Nashville, Tenn.

“It gets all of the Bridgestone new truck tires and Bandag retreads all under one business unit … It’s quite a large operation all together,” Block said of Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions. “We’ll have to think about new tires as well as retreads … That will affect the way employees do their jobs throughout almost every part of our operation in Muscatine.”

Saul Solomon of Muscatine will be president of Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions, which will have 6,700 employees in the U.S. and Canada. About 300 retail locations in the U.S. will report to Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions in Muscatine.

Since the merger last year, Solomon had been president and chief executive of Bridgestone Bandag LLC. He joined Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. in 1993. Block said customers pushed for the changes, which the company decided to make earlier this year. They said they needed to be supplied both Bridgestone truck tires and Bandag retreads by one business, Block said.