On Friday, 6 May 2016, the third-year Marketing Management Practical Project (BEM 356) team leaders were taken to the Bridgestone South Africa manufacturing plant in Brits to give them some insight into the Bridgestone tyre manufacturing process. The student team leaders were collected at UP by Charl Kruger, Bridgestone’s Sales Specialist, and treated to a snack pack to enjoy during the drive to the manufacturing plant.

 

The students were warmly welcomed by Tony Burns, Bridgestone South Africa’s Marketing Manager, and Dries Venter, who conducted the factory tour. After a safety briefing, the tour commenced. The students found the experience both interesting and enlightening. One of the team leaders, Bianca Meiring, commented that she now knows first-hand the amount of work and effort that is put into manufacturing a tyre, and was impressed by the innovative and complex methods used to make tyres. Nontokozo Biyam, another team leader, mentioned that seeing the multiple processes that go into manufacturing a tyre – a product which seems so simple – made her appreciate Bridgestone’s tyres and the care that Bridgestone invests in their products to keep their consumers safe on the roads. [Read more about Bianca and Nontokozo’s plant tour experience below.]

 

The tour was followed by a delicious finger lunch and a Q&A session, after which students were returned to the University. Not having visited any other production plants in the past, this tour was a real eye-opener for the students to see all the planning, detail and quality checks that products – and specifically tyres in this case – go through before being sold to the public. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained insight into how production and marketing fit together in terms of planning and forecasting sales.

Front row: Mokgadi Ramohoebo, Dimpho Matli, Révan Luüs, Michelle van der Merwe, Laureane du Plessis, Rachelle Theron and Jacques Maree.

Back row: Charl Kruger, Thabo Baloyi, Jacques Durandt, David Barnard, Bianca Meiring, Lauren de Wet, Tony Burns, Geena van der Vyver, Calvin da Silva, Tyron Lafferty, Annalize van den Berg, Tineke Steenkamp, Mapule Boroko and Nontokozo Biyam.

 

Bianca Meiring says…

Previously, Bridgestone was just another brand name that I associated with tyres, and tyres were a product category that I knew very little about, until I became a third-year Marketing Management student at the University of Pretoria. Being part of a practical assignment that opens up my mind to new information is something very exciting, and having the opportunity to see the tyre production process in action was amazing. I was fortunate to attend a tour of the Bridgestone plant in Brits on 6 May 2016, along with some of my classmates. It was truly a very interesting experience – from receiving delicious snacks and a warm welcome as we entered the Bridgestone premises, to the innovative and complex methods used to make tyres and the smiles of every employee we passed when touring the plant. Needless to say, I won't be complaining about the price of tyres in the future because I now know first-hand the amount of work and effort that is put into manufacturing a tyre. The experience has made me appreciate the effort and care that goes into the production of Bridgestone tyres in order to ensure that their customers are in safe hands.

 

Nontokozo Biyam says…

The Bridgestone plant tour was a great opportunity for me to gain insight of what actually happens behind the scenes of this popular tyre brand that we are all so familiar with. Seeing the multiple processes that go into creating a tyre, a product which seems so simple, gave me a chance to appreciate Bridgestone tyres and the lengths that the company goes to, to keep their consumers safe on the roads. One of the students mentioned that seeing the whole factory process gave him the bigger picture of what tyres are, thus allowing him to understand the product from both a pricing and safety perspective. After going on the tour, it is safe to say that moving forward in the project, my team and I will have fewer complications in terms of understanding the product and brand that we are working with. I am really grateful for the opportunity that the Bridgestone team gave us and for their awesome hospitality from the moment we left UP for the factory in Brits. Ultimately, the tour was awesome and insightful, and I would most definitely go on another one should the opportunity present itself.