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Bridgestone-Firestone Statement re: Washington Post article For Attribution to Christine Karbowiak

14 August 2000

Bridgestone-Firestone Statement re: Washington Post article For Attribution to Christine Karbowiak

    NASHVILE, Tennessee - "We are confident in the quality of our tires and in 
the effectiveness of our inspection processes at the Decatur, Illinois plant and 
at all of our plants.

    "An article in Sunday's Washington Post raised issues about production and
inspection practices at the company's Decatur, Illinois plant, based on the
testimony of disgruntled former Bridgestone/Firestone employees.  Like all
Bridgestone/Firestone production facilities, the Decatur plant adheres to
stringent standards of quality control where every tire is subject to strict
inspection by both people and machines at every step of the manufacturing
process, from raw material through finished tire.  And, every production
employee, at each of our plants, receives substantial training before they
work on the line.

    "We work extremely hard, day in and day out, to ensure that only tires
that meet our standards get to the customer.  As proof of the effectiveness of
this process, the Decatur plant has received the QS 9000 certification in a
process audited by external experts.  The plant also has received quality
awards from our customers, including Ford, General Motors and Nissan.

    "It is unfortunate that the comments of two very disgruntled employees are
being taken out of context.  These comments fly in the face of recent
published comments by Decatur employees that testify to the high quality of
tires made there."