• Truganina becomes centre of Bridgestone's Victorian operations to further benefit customers and Bridgestone retail network.
• New Victorian hub brings together operations, support staff, retail offering, commercial store, new initiatives and collaborations.
• Bridgestone Truganina site becomes first Australian store showcasing new 'Solutions for Your Journey' concept.  

MELBOURNE, Victoria (23 August, 2021) — Despite Covid-19 restrictions preventing the fanfare it deserves, Bridgestone's new Victorian flagship site in Truganina has officially been opened, with the new operations hub in Melbourne's western suburbs showcasing Bridgestone's new solutions centric focus into the future.

The official opening of Bridgestone's Truganina hub sees the relocation of the company's former warehouse, state office and store at Derrimut relocated to the new site, as well as the convergence of the state operations for Lube Mobile, Webfleet Solutions and the expansion of services into new segments – highlighted by the launch of an onsite truck wash.

Located as a cornerstone of the Midwest Business Hub, the Truganina site is strategically positioned between the Princes Freeway and the Western Freeway, making it convenient and accessible for truck customers as well as servicing the needs of businesses located around the major industrial precinct and the local community.

Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Stephen Roche, says the new site is key to maintaining sustainable business operations in Victoria.

"The official opening of our brand-new facility in Truganina is exciting and a milestone for us as a business. Truganina is the hub of our operations in Victoria and will play a significant role across all of our sales channels, and directly benefit our customers," Mr Roche said.

"The Truganina site also points towards Bridgestone's future direction, as we continue our evolution to become a global leader in providing sustainable mobility solutions – demonstrated by the coming together of Bridgestone's operations, as well as those of our mobile mechanical provider Lube Mobile, and digital solutions partner Webfleet. It's a practical demonstration of how Bridgestone will add value to our customers through solutions beyond tyres."

With sustainability underpinning Bridgestone's Mid-Long Term Business Strategy announced in 2020, the Truganina site will play a role in Bridgestone Australia's contribution towards the company's global target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and realising its 'Milestone 2030' targets of a 50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.

The entire site has a 4.5 green star rating under the Green Building Council of Australia's framework, and utilises energy efficient LED lighting throughout the building, 50,000L of water storage from rainwater harvesting, and a 100kW solar array.

"Our vision of being a global leader in sustainable solutions starts at home with our own initiatives, and we're continuing to implement steps to support our ongoing efforts in reducing our environmental impact," Mr Roche added.  

Bridgestone's Truganina 25,000m2 site is made up of three key areas: a Bridgestone Select store, the Victorian warehouse and distribution centre, and the company's state office – all three of them designed to better service the requirements of Bridgestone's retail, wholesale and key account customers.

The onsite company owned and run Bridgestone Select store is a flagship store for Victoria and one of the key locations in Bridgestone's network of commercial vehicle sites. As well as offering tyre and mechanical servicing for passenger vehicles, SUVs and 4x4s, the store is designed around trucking customers and their needs, with four drive-through B-Double capable bays, a truck wheel alignment pit, and three dedicated truck wash bays – including the state-of-the-art automated truck wash.

Bridgestone has also significantly bolstered the capacity of its Victorian warehouse with a dedicated 19,250m2 of storage – with an increase of 40 per cent compared to the former site translating to 50,000 more tyres in the new site. The site delivers improved customer service through process efficiencies and the utilisation of automated guided vehicles and a telescopic conveyor. From the Truganina warehouse, Bridgestone services all of Victoria and parts of regional New South Wales, as well as Tasmania through a satellite warehouse in Hobart.

Meanwhile the office space has been structured to support Bridgestone's growth, and will serve as the epicentre for state staff servicing Bridgestone's retail operations of Bridgestone Select and Bridgestone Service Centre stores, wholesale customers, key accounts, Lube Mobile and Webfleet Solutions.

According to Bridgestone Australia Sales Director, Heath Barclay, Truganina has been developed with customers at its core, regardless of the sales channel.  

"Bridgestone is committed to our customers to provide safe and reliable products, excellent service and solutions. Our new hub at Truganina will help us realise this commitment through more efficient operations on a warehouse front, new service offering through our onsite store, and allow us to support our network of Bridgestone Select and Bridgestone Service Centres in a more effective manner," Mr Barclay said.

"This site marks new beginnings for our operations in Victoria and resets the focus for our business towards our Mid-Long Term Business Strategy – firmly cementing our path towards our vision of becoming a solutions-centric business, complementing our existing reputation as a leading tyre company."

This is Bridgestone's second major site to open in 2021, with the Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand head office in Adelaide also relocating into bespoke premises at the start of the year.