• Bridgestone outlines the benefits of its global strategy to the realisation of The Green Compact Framework towards decarbonising the road transport industry.
• The development of Bridgestone's Mobility Solutions offerings will support industry decarbonisation in line with The Green Compact framework.
• Sustainable Mobility Solutions program is underpinned by the values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment. 

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (24 February 2023) — Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand has re-emphasised the relevance of its future as a 'sustainable solutions company' with the announcement of The Green Compact launch.

The NZ market leading tyre company is undergoing a transformation towards being a sustainable solutions company, which sees the convergence of new business strategies and the acceleration of technology to support the development of sustainable mobility solutions.

A suite of mobility solutions will see Bridgestone work closely with fleet customers and retail consumers to optimise their fleets and vehicles through effective product choice, maintenance regimes, mobile services, sustainable product life cycle management, and the introduction of new business models and technology.

As well as declaring Bridgestone's principle support for The Green Compact at its launch, Bridgestone's Director of New Zealand Business, John Staples, highlighted that the company's plans are well developed, and over the coming few years the market can expect a significant emphasis on solutions.

"Today's launch of The Green Compact by Transporting New Zealand has reinforced the reasons why Bridgestone is focussed on building on our credentials as the market leading tyre manufacturer and supplier to realise our global Mid-Long Term Business Strategy and become a sustainable solutions provider," Mr Staples said.

"Bridgestone's global business strategy was developed with sustainability at its core, and it will underpin how Bridgestone will be able to support our customers in activity that aligns to the pillars of The Green Compact through the development of our mobility solutions offering.  

"Bridgestone's mobility solutions offering is being developed in collaboration with the industry – through our partners and customers to understand and address the pain points. This focus on business solutions beyond tyre sales will enable our customers to operate fleets more efficiently and in a more economical and sustainable manner through data insights, proactive maintenance and innovative products."

Over the past 12 months, Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand has been laying the foundations for its solutions centric future. A key part of this was the appointment of Solutions Director, Stefano Parisi, who is overseeing the convergence of Bridgestone's traditional service offerings, with data-driven and integrated solutions.

"This strategy evolution is one of the biggest fundamental shifts in the company's history, both locally and globally, and a key factor is harnessing our local expertise, and technology from around the world within Bridgestone," Mr Staples said.

"The appointment of Stefano Parisi to the role of Solutions Director is integral to our transformation as we take the next step in our evolution and highlights the global collaborations that New Zealand is benefiting from."

Parisi brings nearly 25 years of tyre industry and solutions experience to the role, and prior to joining Bridgestone ANZ was the Managing Director for the Southern Region of Bridgestone Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (BSEMIA).

In his role as Solutions Director, Parisi is overseeing the integration and streamlining of Bridgestone ANZ's mobility solutions strategy, focussing on the areas of fleet business, consumer, mobile maintenance, and retreading and recycling.

He is also heading up the development of the local integration of Bridgestone's core acquisitions over the past three years, starting with the global purchase of the Webfleet Solutions (formerly TomTom Telematics), and the purchase of Australian mobile mechanical service provider, Lube Mobile – a successful model that is undergoing a pilot within New Zealand.

"The development of the sustainable mobility solutions offering is centred around customers' needs and the appropriate business model, product mix, use of technology, and servicing for their requirements. New Zealand is a key market for the development of Bridgestone's global plans and we're in the process of applying the learnings from regions like Europe and America to our market's unique set of circumstances," Mr Staples said.

The focus on mobility solutions is considered as Bridgestone's third foundation, Bridgestone 3.0, which builds on the company's inception in 1931 (Bridgestone 1.0) and the 'globalisation' of the company in 1988 through its merger with Firestone (Bridgestone 2.0). The development of the Mid-Long Term Business Strategy outline's the company's roadmap towards 2050 and how the company will continue to add social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company.

"Bridgestone was founded as a tyre company, and right now the company is transforming in line with the Bridgestone 3.0 strategy, building on our products through retail and service offerings, and now the addition of mobility solutions through close collaboration with our customers. We are well on our way to achieving our long-term vision of being a sustainable solutions provider," Mr Staples said.   

"We have a robust roadmap for the next generation of Bridgestone and Firestone products, complemented by the Bandag retread offering. Our market leading product combined with the integration of new technologies supports our offering of sustainable solutions for our customers. Further to this, the development of usage-based business models, for example price-per-kilometre, will broaden our core offerings, meeting the needs of our customers and adding value to their business," he added.  

The mobility solutions program is a key example of how Bridgestone is co-creating value with our customers, inline with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, particularly in the values of efficiency, extension, economy and ease.

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About the Bridgestone E8 commitment:

The Bridgestone E8 Commitment was launched last year, committed to creating value through "purpose" and "process," together with employees, society, its partners, and customers to realise a sustainable society. This will serve as the axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations.

Made up of eight values: Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease and Empowerment, the Bridgestone E8 Commitment is designed to create purpose and process for the company, partners and customers towards the development of a more sustainable society.