Firestone Decatur Tire Plant

Firestone Press Release
Tire Inspection Practice Questioned at Firestone's Decatur Tire Plant

August 13, 2000

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - "We are confident in the quality of our tires and in the effectiveness of our inspection processes at the Decatur, Illinois plant and at all of our plants.

"An article in Sunday's Washington Post raised issues about production and inspection practices at the company's Decatur, Illinois plant, based on the testimony of disgruntled former Bridgestone/Firestone employees. Like all Bridgestone/Firestone production facilities, the Decatur plant adheres to stringent standards of quality control where every tire is subject to strict inspection by both people and machines at every step of the manufacturing process, from raw material through finished tire. And, every production employee, at each of our plants, receives substantial training before they work on the line.

"We work extremely hard, day in and day out, to ensure that only tires that meet our standards get to the customer. As proof of the effectiveness of this process, the Decatur plant has received the QS 9000 certification in a process audited by external experts. The plant also has received quality awards from our customers, including Ford, General Motors and Nissan.

"It is unfortunate that the comments of two very disgruntled employees are being taken out of context. These comments fly in the face of recent published comments by Decatur employees that testify to the high quality of tires made there."

SOURCE: Bridgestone/Firestone

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