Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
October 01, 2014 02:00 AM

US production of premium golf balls gives Bridgestone an edge

Bruce Meyer
RUBBER && PLASTICS NEWS
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Bridgestone Golf Inc.
    Bridgestone Golf Inc. has moved all of its premium golf ball production to its plant in Covington, Ga.

    AKRON, OHIO — Bridgestone Golf Inc.'s recent decision to produce all of its premium golf balls at its Covington, Ga., facility makes for not just a good manufacturing story, but also an excellent marketing one as well, according to a company executive.

    As the Bridgestone-brand golf ball has grown from No. 5 to No. 2 in the U.S. after being sold in the domestic market for less than 10 years, the company has put more of its production in Covington, said Dan Murphy, Bridgestone Golf executive vice president of sales and marketing.

    Bridgestone now manufactures roughly 36 million golf balls at the Covington site. Most of those are premium urethane-covered balls that retail for $25 or more a dozen, he said. The company has added roughly 20 jobs at the factory in the last 18 months, boosting employment to 130.

    “We were successful in the U.S. from a demand creation perspective,” Murphy said during a recent trip to Akron. “I think that Japan made the logistical decision that it would be smart to manufacture it closer to where we are selling it. It created some efficiencies related to logistics and shipping and shorter reaction time to market.”

    With all the premium balls — the E and B series — now made in Covington, the firm continues to produce some of the cheaper balls in Asia, where labor costs make more of a difference in the price-sensitive product categories, he said.

    But the more advanced production processes and high-quality work force made it feasible to make the higher-end balls in the U.S. He said the staff there also has done a good job in making the production process more efficient.

    “Our guys in Covington have been very conscious of constant improvement and finding ways to take costs out of the process, mostly through automation,” Murphy said. “As the products have become more sophisticated, the manufacturing process is fairly complex, and the work force here in the U.S. lends itself to being capable of handling that complex manufacturing.”

    Some portions of the facility are so automated, he said, it's a “lights-out” process with no people in the department.

    Rising fortunes

    Bridgestone Golf Inc.

    Bridgestone's Covington plant turns out 36 million golf balls each year.

    Murphy is proud of what Bridgestone Golf has accomplished on the sales and marketing side of the equation. “We've taken what essentially is a tire brand and beat in the golf ball category some of the big sporting goods giants such as Nike, TaylorMade and Callaway,” he said.

    The company has done that both by having a top-notch product to promote but also by differentiating its marketing strategy, he said. Golf products traditionally are sold through what is known as the “pyramid of influence,” where top golfers play a product, and it trickles down to amateur golfers.

    Titleist is the king of this approach in the golf ball market and still holds a commanding No. 1 position in the sector. Bridgestone Golf has signed a few golfers to its endorsement roster, including Fred Couples, Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker.

    But Bridgestone also has added a second part to its marketing effort, focusing on education and golf ball fitting for amateurs.

    “Fitting was something that we really endorsed and created,” Murphy said. “Ten years ago, it didn't even exist as a conversation in the industry, and now it's very common to talk about getting fitted not only for your golf clubs but to get fitted for your golf ball.”

    Bridgestone Golf has done roughly 300,000 customer fittings, and he said that has helped it to understand what is going on with the everyday golfer's swing and to use that information to develop its products.

    “We want pros to play our ball, and we have a ball they can play at a really high level with,” he said. “However, for the average recreational player, there's a different way to go about choosing your golf ball.”

    Future goals

    Bridgestone Golf Inc.

    Bridgestone has also signed endorsement deals with top players including Fred Couples to raise the profile of its golf balls.

    The firm's short-term goal is to raise its market share to 20 percent from its current mark of 14 percent. Murphy said Bridgestone holds 20 percent in certain portions of the market — mainly in the premium side of the business — but getting to that share overall is important.

    “We feel like strategically a 20-percent share of the market would be very important,” he said. “It would really solidify us in that No. 2 spot.”

    Looking into the future, the company has loftier aspirations. “Long term we certainly believe our product, our technology and being part of the Bridgestone organization enables us to think big,” Murphy said. “We don't have a timeline on it, but we would like to be the No. 1 golf ball in the world.”

    Having the affiliation with Bridgestone, especially, is key, he said. “It's a wonderful difference-maker for us. It's funny to hear the tire people say consumers think tires are black and round with treads. It's a similar joke in golf balls: they are round and white with dimples.”

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Auto suppliers plan for uncertainty amid UAW strike, shift to EVs
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    An 8,000-ton dream for Milacron, 20/20 Custom Molded Plastics
    2
    Auto suppliers plan for uncertainty amid UAW strike, shift to EVs
    3
    Some resin prices take a hike at the end of summer
    4
    Proposed tax on single-use virgin plastic resurfaces in Congress
    5
    Resin Prices
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.

    You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
      • Podcasts
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Bioplastics Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • PFAS Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
      • Europe - Virgin
      • Europe - Recycled
      • Europe - Feedstock
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified