Troubled tire plant to close

Wednesday, June 27, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced today it will close the Decatur, Ill., plant that produced most of the 6.5 million tires the company was forced to recall last summer.

Bridgestone/Firestone said 1,380 employees and 100 contractors work at the plant. Another 440 Decatur workers have been laid off since the recall.

Bridgestone/Firestone Chief Executive John Lampe said he feels "rotten, terrible" about the closing, but promised the company would live up to its contractual agreements with the workers.

Bridgestone/Firestone has determined a faulty design and a unique manufacturing process at the Decatur plant caused some tires to suddenly lose their tread or suffer other failures.

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