Tire Deal: Bekaert & Bridgestone
On January 28, 2026, Bekaert, a leading global player in rubber reinforcement materials, officially announced a definitive acquisition agreement with Bridgestone, a world-renowned tire manufacturer, to acquire Bridgestone's tire steel cord business in China and Thailand for €60 million (approximately RMB 500 million).
This transaction, focusing on two core production bases, is a key step for Bekaert in strengthening its global market presence and a significant step for Bridgestone in continuing its business restructuring and focusing on core areas, attracting widespread attention from the global tire and OEM industries.
The acquisition involves asset transfer. Bekaert and Bridgestone simultaneously signed a long-term exclusive supply agreement. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026 and involves Bridgestone's two major tire steel cord production bases in Shenyang and Rayong Province, Thailand. The two bases have generated total sales of approximately €80 million (RMB 666 million) in recent years and possess mature production systems and stable customer resources.
Bekaert stated that rubber reinforcement (RR) is its core business segment, and the acquisition of two major production bases in China and Thailand aims to consolidate and enhance its position as a "global leader in the tire reinforcement market." It is understood that China and Thailand are the world's two largest tire manufacturing bases, both possessing significant market advantages, which is a key reason for Bekaert's strategic investment in these regions.
For Bekaert, acquiring these two core regional production bases not only directly secures a stable source of orders and a larger market share, but also further improves its global manufacturing network, reduces regional operating costs, and strengthens its long-term strategic partnership with Bridgestone, a major global customer.
A Bekaert representative emphasized in an interview that this acquisition "significantly strengthens its unique global manufacturing footprint in the rubber reinforcement business, while ensuring a reliable supplier model to provide high-quality, uninterrupted tire reinforcement material supply to key customers such as Bridgestone through long-term supply agreements."
It is understood that Bekaert already has a steel cord production plant in mainland China, primarily serving tire companies in South and East China and overseas markets. This acquisition of the Shenyang base will further enhance its presence in the Chinese market.
For Bridgestone, the sale of its steel cord business in Thailand is a key step in continuing its profit improvement and business development strategy since 2025—focusing on core strengths and enhancing its long-term competitiveness by divesting non-core businesses and deepening collaboration with high-quality global partners.
This strategic approach aligns closely with the core objectives of Bridgestone's mid-term business plan (2024-2026), specifically the second phase of business restructuring and rebuilding. This plan clearly states the need to prioritize strategic resources in the high-end passenger car tire market, which is expected to see significant growth, thereby strengthening profitability and striving to regain its position as the world's leading tire manufacturer.
To this end, Bridgestone plans to invest approximately RMB 562 million in China over the next three years for factory expansion and high-end manufacturing to meet the demand for high-end tires from new energy vehicles.
In 2025, Bridgestone initiated several divestiture transactions of non-core businesses, the most representative of which was the sale of its carbon black plant in Thailand. On July 7th, Bridgestone sold Bridgestone Carbon Black (Thailand) Ltd. (BSCB), located in Rayong Province, Thailand, which it had operated for nearly 14 years, to the Thai subsidiary of Donghai Carbon Group for approximately 2.05 billion Thai baht (equivalent to 448 million RMB).
The plant has an annual capacity of 40,000 tons. On September 24th of the same year, Donghai Carbon officially took over the plant and began to release its capacity in an orderly manner.
In addition to the Thai carbon black plant, in August 2025, Bridgestone also sold its Mexican carbon black business to Cabot Corporation, a global leader in the carbon black industry, for US$70 million (approximately 502.5 million RMB).
Bridgestone stated that the sale of both carbon black companies was an important step in its business restructuring, with the core being the divestiture of non-core businesses and the concentration of resources on high-quality tire business. This move also marks a deepening stage in its strategic transformation, with a future focus on technology and market expansion in the high-end tire sector.
