INTERVIEW
TAKING THE INTELLIGENT APPROACH
Bridgestone MEA’s Stefano Sanchini talks to T&FME about seven decades of regional success and what lies ahead
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lobally Bridgestone is the number one tyre manufacturer and has been for more than 10 years - and every year it is getting bigger. As Stefano Sanchini, regional managing director, Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE is quick to remind me, the brand is now into its eighth decade in the Middle East and Africa, and, as such, knows a thing or two about the tyre market in the region. “We are consolidating our leading 18
SEPTEMBER 2020
position globally but there are many different parts of the world where we have different positions in terms of the competition,” he starts. “I joined Bridgestone in the Middle East quite recently, but of course I was in the region before I joined. I had the pleasure of looking at Bridgestone as a competitor and I have to stay in the Middle East and Africa it is by far the number one brand.” The company celebrated its 70th anniversary with its Saudi Arabian partners last year, and Sanchini believes
In the Middle East and Africa it is by far the number one brand”
that Bridgestone benefitted from its pioneering work all the decades ago. “From the start, our Japanese colleagues did a great job coming in the region – some of our partnerships have lasted more than 70 years. They really started looking at this part of the world much earlier than a lot of the other major brands,” he explains. “They were looking outside of Japan in the 1950s: the Second World War had just ended; they were looking for opportunities to expand in this part of the region. meconstructionnews.com
