Bridgestone Huizhou Synthetic Rubber Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone, opened a new plant in Huizhou, Guangdong province, earlier this week for production of synthetic rubber.  
 
With a total investment of $99.5 million, the new plant will produce styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and its annual capacity is projected to be around 50,000 tons.
 
Bridgestone said that, in general, synthetic rubber accounts for approximately 20% of the overall weight of a tire. The SBR produced at the new facility will mainly be used for the part of the tread in contact with the road, and has characteristics that contribute to ensuring vehicle stability when travelling at high speeds without reducing rubber strength
The company claims that demand for high-performance tires is increasing in Asia, especially China, with the Bridgestone Group predicting growing demand for synthetic rubber.