Bridgestone’s President in the Middle East and Africa, Jacques Fourie, shares how the company is leveraging digital tools to innovate and grow, while remaining true to its commitment to safety and sustainability. In this interview, Fourie highlights Bridgestone’s digitalization initiatives and how they’ve impacted their business to move ahead.
Can you elaborate on Bridgestone’s commitment to sustainability, particularly in the context of the E8 commitment? Can you highlight some of your key sustainability achievements in the region?
At Bridgestone, we have been developing cutting-edge mobility solutions, while adhering to stringent global standards. With sustainability at the core, we have been exploring the possibilities of an eco-friendly business model by upholding the value of our corporate strategy, the E8 Commitment. Guided by eight major principles, the framework paves way to becoming a global pioneer in the spectrum of sustainable and advanced mobility solutions. Over the past years, we have been prioritizing sustainability across all our projects. We are actively engaging in research and development, and collaborating with renowned companies. We are also part of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Sustainability Network.
What initiatives has Bridgestone undertaken to improve road safety in the Middle East and Africa? What impact have they had on the local communities?
We believe that road safety is a shared responsibility and everybody should do their part to ensure safer roads. In addition, we have not only been focusing on developing high-quality products and innovative solutions, but also on educating drivers. Our dedication to promoting safe mobility is evident through our CSR campaigns and associated initiatives. In addition, we have also partnered with various authorities and companies like Al Masaood TBA, Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) and RTA. Through these initiatives, we aim to help the industry in educating technicians and drivers on road safety.
Could you share some recent examples of how technology and innovation have played a role in the company’s operations and product development?
We recognize that capabilities of tires are not limited to just a point of contact between vehicles and the road, it also has the potential to provide vast real-time insights. This can help optimize performance and safety, increase durability and save fuel. We have also launched Bridgestone 3.0, under which we are prioritising integration of innovative technologies and solutions to proactively meet the needs of the next generation of drivers. As mentioned, we are exploring the vast capability of tires. The Smart Strain Sensor, our first-of-its-kind tire sensor incorporated with Internet of Things (IoT), is an example of our efforts. Similarly, we have also partnered with Microsoft to develop a unique Tire Damage Monitoring System. The system, which is designed using Microsoft Connected Vehicle Platform (MCVP), helps increase road safety and reduce accidents caused by technical failure.
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How is Bridgestone embracing digitalization in its operations and services? What benefits has digitalization brought to your customers and partners?
As we can see, the global automotive industry is shifting towards digital business models and customer preferences are becoming more service-centric, requiring companies to modify and stay competitive. At Bridgestone, we are adapting to these changes and have employed a comprehensive digitalization agenda across our operations. We have integrated SAP4 systems into our business processes to provide clear lines of communication, speed up decision-making, increase productivity, strengthen teamwork across our regional teams and foster innovation and growth as a whole.
The move comes in alignment with our global vision of Road to 2030-2050, which emphasizes mobility solutions, adopts E8 principles and is steadfastly committed towards sustainability. We are developing various digital platforms like Bridgestone Mobility Solutions (BMS). This gives our customers a vivid picture of our end-to-end operations. Furthermore, we are leveraging the capabilities of connected vehicles. We strongly believe that it can revolutionize the mobility industry through a data-driven approach. The acquisition of Arvento Mobile Systems also comes in line with these efforts, as it can assist us in streamlining our fleet operations and diversifying our services beyond tires.
With the growing interest in electric vehicles (EVs), how is Bridgestone adapting its products and services to support the EV market’s development in the Middle East and Africa?
The dynamic automotive market brings about challenges and opportunities for the tire industry, driving the need for innovative, sustainable designs and materials to meet the demands of new vehicle models. With the electric vehicle (EV) industry prospering, Bridgestone has partnered with the world’s leading EV manufacturers to develop custom tires that address the challenges of electric mobility. For instance, our TECHSYN, B-Silent and ENLITEN technologies are tailor-made to support sustainable and EV mobility. In addition, our EV tires use state-of-the-art 3D sipes technology and ologic technology. This helps to reduce rolling resistance, improve battery range and extend tire life.
How is the company aligning with global climate action goals?
As we all know, mobility and sustainability can no longer be considered as two distinctive concepts. We believe that building a sustainable automotive sector is not just an obligation. This has pushed us to launch ‘E8 commitment’. This is our corporate commitment for 2030 that addresses current needs without jeopardizing the needs of future generations. Being an industry pioneer and a member of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), we have been upholding a steadfast commitment to reduce carbon emissions and our environmental impact. We have also received the Science Based Targets (SBT) certification from the SBT Initiative (SBTi) for meeting its 2030 CO2 emission reduction targets.
How is Bridgestone’s investments transforming its partner companies to be prepared to meet the needs of future market?
We have been making incredible progress in modernizing our business practices and getting our partners ready for the future. In keeping with this commitment, which focuses on helping our partner firms thrive, we have established a specialized capabilities organization. Additionally, over the last 14 months, we have assembled a completely new leadership team to spearhead this business and culture transition to position us for success.
About Jacques Fourie
Fourie is an experienced executive leader with a solid reputation for building high performance teams. He has a strong financial and commercial background. Fourie has also deep experience in industrial engine distribution sales and service across Africa and the USA. Fourie is an authentic, self-aware leader with a passion for building company culture through leadership and talent development.
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