News - 2021

Bridgestone Completes Acquisition of Otraco OTR Tire Management Solutions Business from Downer Progress of Strategic Growth Investment Based on Mid Term Business Plan (2021-2023)

2021/12/02

Tokyo (December 2, 2021) ― Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced that its group company Bridgestone Mining Solutions Australia Pty. Ltd., has completed acquisition of Otraco International Pty Ltd (Otraco)^*1, an Off-the-Road (OTR) tire management solutions provider, from Downer EDI Limited. on December 1, 2021, after getting regulatory approvals and satisfying other customary conditions. The transaction is valued at AUD 79 million (approx. JPY 6.6 billion^*2).

This acquisition is a part of strategic growth investment to accelerate global expansion of its solutions business planned in the Mid Term Business Plan (2021-2023)^*3, aligned with the vision "Toward 2050, Bridgestone continues to provide social value and customer value, as a sustainable solutions company." Bridgestone defines mining tire and solutions business as an important major business, in which the Group continuously and proactively injects its strategic resources.

Otraco is an OTR tire management solutions provider, having skilled tire technicians located at mine sites in Australia, Chile and South Africa. It also provides its proprietary computerized tire management system (Otracom) for safe and efficient operations of mining customers.

Otraco will reinforce Bridgestone Group's service network, which is already in a global leading position. It will also create synergy with the Group's mining tire and solutions business.

Bridgestone Group provides proprietary mining tire and solutions business globally, which aims to support safe and efficient operations of mining customers, contributing to the improvement of their productivity, and addressing sustainability issues such as reduction of CO₂ emissions and increasing resource productivity.

Based on the Mid Term Business Plan (2021-2023), the Bridgestone Group will execute strategic growth investments to strengthen its tire business as core business, and expand its solutions business as growth business, to evolve into a sustainable solutions company that continues to provide social and customer value.

Bridgestone expects the impact on its consolidated financial results for 2021 to be minor.

＜Overview of Otraco＞
1. Company Name	: Otraco International Pty Ltd
2. Location of Headquarter	: Brisbane, Queensland, Commonwealth of Australia
3. Representative	: Gregory Glennon
4. Number of employees	: Approximately 860 (as of March 31, 2021)
5. Capital	: 2,630,919 AUD (as of March 31, 2021)
6. Operations	: Maintenance, monitoring and asset management solutions of OTR tires

*1 Click here for information of Bridgestone's acquisition of Otraco

*2 Translated at a rate of AUD 1 to JPY 84

*3 Click here for information of the Bridgestone Group's Mid Term Business Plan (2021-2023).

About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone is a global leader in tires and rubber building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Tokyo, the company employs approximately 140,000 people globally and conducts business in more than 150 countries and territories worldwide. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.