NORMAL - Normal's Bridgestone Firestone Off Road Tire will increase its production and add jobs as the result of a $12 million investment into the Normal tire plant.

Parent company Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire in Nashville, Tenn. will provide the funding during the next five years to the off-road tire facility for new equipment and operational costs, said Plant Manager Greg Halford. The investment also will result in the addition of 50 new jobs at the plant, which employees about 400.

"We're excited for the money, looking forward to spending it," Halford said at a press conference Wednesday. "This is a starting point for the plant. … We want to get more (money)."

The company's first new piece of equipment, a $4.8 million curing press that will double the production capacity of Bridgestone's giant loader tires, should arrive in September and be operational by November, Halford said.

The press is used during the final stage of the tire-making process for the company's 13-foot tall giant loader tires, said Shawn Rasey, vice president of Bridgestone Firestone Off Road Tire Co. in Nashville. Bridgestone will then be able to finish four, instead of two, of the giant tires a day, Rasey said.

The curing process where all of the components of the tire bond together to form the final product takes 20 hours to complete, Rasey said. The facility has been able to build tires faster; now the curing process will better keep up with productivity, he said.

Bridgestone will invest the money into the Twin City location because of the global demand for the off-road tires, Rasey said. The Normal plant is the only location in the world to make the 13-foot giant loader tires, Rasey said. The ties are used in mining operations.

The millions of dollars are a much needed investment in the local plant, Halford said. Its current capital budget is about $500,000 to $1 million annually, which is just enough to keep the plant open, Halford said. More money and more jobs signal a better future for the local plant, he said.

Bridgestone has already hired about 20 new employees since October and expects to hire another 30 this year, Halford said. New entry-level employees will receive $13 to $14 an hour plus benefits, said Dan MacDonald, director of media relations for Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. in Nashville.