Bridgestone Firestone to set up DC in Jacksonville

Bridgestone Firestone to set up DC in Jacksonville    Tire maker Bridgestone Firestone plans to invest $44 million to build a one-million-square-foot distribution center in Jacksonville, Fla., the city said.
   Company officials listed convenient access to the Port of Jacksonville and the interstate highway system as key factors to locate in the area. The company plans to use Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Hamburg-Sud as its primary ocean carriers for Jacksonville. MOL is itself a new entrant in Jacksonville having signed a 30-lease with the port authority last year to build a new terminal.
   Construction in the Cecil Commerce Center North development is tentatively scheduled to start this fall in anticipation of a June 2007 opening.
   Bridgestone is the third company within the last six months to announce plans to open or expand a distribution center in Jacksonville. Michaels Stores said in April it was relocating its Southeast seasonal distribution center to Jacksonville.