Lampe Switches Firestone Management

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--In a move designed to speed decision-making, increase the accountability of senior managers and ensure greater consistency in its operating procedures, John T. Lampe, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Bridgestone/Firestone Inc., has made a series of management changes and created “a new streamlined organization” in the wake of the company’s much-publicized quality control problems.

“Since the early ‘90s, we have been a decentralized company, focusing on 21 separate businesses,” said Lampe. “While this structure was innovative and successful for our company then, it is time to dismantle the castle walls and empty the moats. Going forward, our emphasis will be on better information and knowledge sharing, and more direct accountability at all levels inside the company.”

Effective immediately, the company said it would initially consolidate several of its business divisions into four new operating units, reporting directly to Lampe. They are:

U.S. Commercial Tire--This business unit brings together Bridgestone/Firestone’s truck, agriculture, off-the-road tires, and tube operations into a single unit. Chuck Ramsey, 51, has been appointed president of the company’s U.S. Commercial Tire group and will continue as executive vice president of Bridgestone/Firestone.

U.S. Consumer Tire--This new unit incorporates the company’s consumer tire sales, original equipment sales, retail operations and credit card businesses. Shu Ishibashi, 46, will oversee this unit as president and will also serve as executive vice president of Bridgestone/Firestone,. Most recently, Ishibashi was the division vice president of tire marketing.

International Tire Operations--All international tire operations are being consolidated to maximize coordination across the company’s Americas’ business, under the leadership of Mark Emkes. Emkes, 47, becomes president of International Tire Operations and continues as executive vice president of Bridgestone/Firestone. Previously, Emkes was president of Bridgestone/Firestone of Brasil.

Vito DeFlorio, 63, currently president of Bridgestone/Firestone Argentina will hold the concurrent positions as head of the company’s Brazilian and Argentine operations.

The company said that further announcements regarding key appointments within each of these three new units will be made in the next few weeks.

Manufacturing and Technology Operations--Last week, Isao Togashi, 58, was named vice chairman of Bridgestone/Firestone. In addition to his board position, Togashi will be joining the management team in Nashville in early November as president of Manufacturing and Technology Operations, overseeing all research, technology and manufacturing operations.

Reporting to Togashi, other executive appointments within Manufacturing and Technology Operations include:

Shigehisa Sano will be appointed executive vice president of Bridgestone/Firestone and president of Product Development, effective next month. Sano, 54, is currently director of tire development for Bridgestone Corp. in Japan.

Itsuo Miyake will become president of Bridgestone/Firestone Research. Miyake, 53, has been general manager of Tire Material Development at Bridgestone Corp.

Seiya Kaneko, 61, currently president of the company’s Bridgestone/Firestone’s technology and research divisions, will continue in that capacity until Sano and Miyake join the company in November.

Nobuo Kawakami, 60, currently president of Bridgestone/Firestone South Carolina division, will become president of Manufacturing Operations and senior vice president of Bridgestone/Firestone.

Other key moves include:

Steve Brooks, 47, currently general manager of the Bridgestone/Firestone South Carolina Aiken County plant, will become plant manager, reporting to Kawakami.

Kazuyoshi Gobaru, 58, currently division vice president of Supply, Planning and Sourcing, will continue in that capacity, also reporting to Kawakami.

Kaz Nishigai, 50, will be appointed plant manager of the company’s Warren County, Tenn. Facility, succeeding Isaac Motohasi, 46, who is accepting a new assignment with Bridgestone Corp. in Japan.

“More changes will be made in the coming weeks,” said Lampe. “While our highest priority is to complete the recall in November and to determine the root cause or causes of our recent tire problems, these changes are critical moves in our efforts to begin to restore consumer confidence and revitalize the Firestone brand.”