Tire manufacturer Bridgestone Americas is closing its LaVergne, Tennessee, truck and bus radial tire plant and laying off 700 workers there, the company announced in a news release.Bridgestone said the closure will help the company “optimize its business footprint” and “strengthen its competitiveness.

Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone Corporation announced it plans to close its tyre manufacturing plant in LaVergne, in the US state of Tennessee, as part of its strategy to “optimize the company’s business footprint, strengthen its competitiveness and enhance the quality of the US operations.”