| Spring, 2000
Brigestone/Firestone Location, location, location. In 1951, that’s what attracted Bridgestone/Firestone, a national distributor of tires and automotive parts, to what has since become one of the most sought-after industrial areas in Memphis – North Memphis Industrial Park. “The North Memphis area provides all the advantages necessary for a national distribution center,” said Ken Wiley, distribution center manager. “Easy access to expressways, railways and a skilled labor force are what makes Memphis the distribution hub of the U.S.” Firestone’s association with North Memphis Industrial Park dates back nearly half a century when it operated as a factory warehouse occupying approximately 80,000 square feet. Expanding to 449,000 square feet by 1963, the once factory warehouse became a regional distribution center in 1983. Today it occupies 449,010 square feet at 712 Firestone Avenue, shipping and receiving 24,000 tires a day and providing employment for some 47 employees on two shifts. Firestone, acquired by Japanese-owned Bridgestone in 1988, operates nine distribution centers and seven producing plants across the United States. The Memphis distribution center services six states, distributing materials on a weekly basis to stores in Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Missouri. In addition, it exports nearly 100 containers a month to South America. Bridgestone/Firestone’s Memphis distribution center also boasts the best lead time reduction among its counterparts with a turn-around time of three days or less from production plant to customer. Photo at top:
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