Shift of Michelin Production Towards Romania

Next month, Michelin will close its truck tyre plant at Burnley (UK) and move the production capacity to Romania where the company took over a local producer several months ago. This move was confirmed by CFO Michel Rollier during the Global Automotive Conference held by Morgan Stanley in New York.Rollier added that the truck tyre business should create an average operating profit between 13 and 14 per cent.

In the previous year this had been just 8.8 per cent due to the declining market. – a result which was, in any case, much better than the competitors’ results.

Rollier added that Michelin wants to intensify its passenger car tyre engagement in the European high performance sector and to improve its position in the winter tyre segment. Both segments meanwhile have become attractive markets. In the USA Michelin has been able to win market share and has exchanged 2.