May 1, 2009 12:00 PM

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is celebrating the grand opening of its newest state-of-the-art tire distribution center in Jacksonville FL. The opening marks the latest step in a modernization program of the company's North America distribution center system.

With a capacity of more than a million tires ranging from small passenger and industrial tires to medium- and heavy-duty commercial truck tires, the Jacksonville center will supply tires and automotive parts to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. In addition, the distribution center will supply the entire United States with tires produced in Latin America, and the eastern half of the United States with tires from Japan and other Asian countries.

BATO operates seven distribution centers across North America. At more than one million square feet, the Jacksonville facility is the largest of the company's centers, with more than 200 dock doors. It can handle more than 50 trailer loads of product in and out of the facility daily. The center employs approximately 80 full-time teammates.