Tire giant Bridgestone recently completed an important personnel layout in the Chinese market. Industrial and commercial information shows that Bridgestone (China) Investment Co., Ltd. has completed the change of legal representative and main members on July 30, 2025. Senior executive Mr. Kuroki Minoru replaced Zhao Laihong as the company's director and manager. This senior management change, accompanied by Bridgestone's official announcement that Mr. Kuroki Minoru will officially take over as managing director at the end of August, marks that the tire giant's development strategy in the Chinese market has entered a new stage, with its core target directly targeting the high-end PCR tire market segment.
According to information officially released by Bridgestone, the new head, Mr. Kuroki Minoru, is a senior manager with nearly 40 years of industry experience. He joined Bridgestone in 1989 and his career has spanned several key markets including Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Russia. He has worked and lived in Guangzhou, Beijing and other places and is no stranger to the Chinese market. Prior to his new position in China, he served as director of international tire management and business director of industrial, construction and agricultural machinery solutions. Most recently, he held the important position of business director of G-MICA and EMIA tire solutions.
Mr. Kuroki Minoru's profound global vision, diversified market management experience and deep understanding of the entire tire industry chain are considered to be the key reasons why Bridgestone chose him to lead its China business. He is not only familiar with tire sales and marketing, but also possesses outstanding leadership in the specialty tire and solutions business, which has laid a solid talent foundation for Bridgestone's diversified development in the Chinese market.
In the appointment statement, Mr. Kuroki Minoru clearly stated that he will lead the Bridgestone China team to focus on developing advantages and competitiveness in segments such as the high-end passenger car market. This statement clearly reveals Bridgestone's core strategic direction in China in the future. Currently, China's auto market is undergoing profound structural changes. On the one hand, the rapid popularization of new energy vehicles and the trend of consumption upgrading have driven the continued growth in demand for high-quality tires with high performance, low rolling resistance, and low noise; on the other hand, market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, especially in the mid-end and low-end markets, where price wars are frequent and profit margins are constantly being compressed. In this context, shifting to high-end markets with high technology content and high added value has become an inevitable choice for international tire giants to maintain their leading edge.
Bridgestone's move is a precise response to this market trend. By sending a leader with global resources and strategic vision to China, Bridgestone aims to integrate its global technological advantages, better meet the needs of China's high-end consumers, and strengthen its brand influence and market share in the OE and high-end RE markets. This is not only about the sales of tire products, but also the concrete practice of its corporate philosophy of providing "sustainable mobility and advanced solutions" in the Chinese market.
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