Michelin Strengthens Commitment to Truck Tyre Retreading

The segmentation of the truck tyre business continues. Michelin is obliged to bear that in mind if it wants to defend its – already almost traditional – strong position or, more ambitiously, even expand it wherever possible. In the field of new tyres competitors operate with “second lines”, new products – especially “budget lines” – come crowding into the market from far-flung places, or other large new tyre manufacturers create new names with which to fill this segment.

Michelin is represented here with its brands Stomil/Kormoran, Taurus and – in future – Riken. In the hot cure field Michelin is the market leader with its product Remix. “Recamic”, Michelin’s cold cure process six years in the making, is still eyed with curiosity.

The more so since news has spread to this side of the Atlantic that Michelin is enthusiastically forging ahead in North America, and in doing so has created havoc in the established and previously solid North American truck tyre retread market. However, according to Jean-Marc François (the man responsible for Michelin’s whole European truck tyre business), the situation over there is entirely different from here. In North America Michelin entered the retreading business three years ago practically from scratch, whereas in Europe it has been a strong competitor for many years and has a current market share of 23 p.

c., which it intends to raise to 30 p.c.