Bridgestone expects a tougher second half of the fiscal year ending Dec. 31 as its U.S. business faces a sharp drop in truck tire demand, tariffs take a toll and it deals with the fallout from a cyberattack that disrupted production.
Truck tire demand for new vehicles in the U.S. has fallen sharply since early August, CEO Shuichi Ishibashi said in an interview last week. It comes as makers of trucks have been cutting production plans for the coming months.
The challenges in North America — including tariffs, weaker U.S. capital spending and shifting trade flows — are testing Bridgestone's ability to defend margins and sustain growth, a familiar refrain for Japan’s export-driven manufacturers, which have been shaken by the rapidly shifting trade landscape.
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