Michelin Opens New Retread Facility and Launches New X One Tyre

Michelin Retread Technologies has announced that it is adding a new press at its Covington, Georgia facility in the US, Trucking News has reported. The new MRT press is designed to produce new high-technology treads and to take advantage of Michelin’s advanced co-extrusion technique, a process where two different rubber compounds are combined to produce cooler casing temperatures, maximising the life of the casing.

The expanded operation will be capable of producing one million new treads per year. “The demand for our retread products is accelerating, fuelled by strong growth from existing franchisees, as well as the opening of 10 new MRT plants in North America during the last 12 months,” Luc Minguet, chief operating officer of Michelin Americas Truck Tires, said in a statement. “We foresee similar growth in the coming years representing an additional demand of half million treads per year. We have already launched a project to add another new press in 2006.”

In addition, the new press will allow the company to extend its range of treads for Michelin’s X One wide-single tire. The Michelin X One XZUS tyre is designed for use in the waste industry, on urban delivery trucks, and in other urban/regional applications. It is the first X One tyre specifically designed for all-wheel position usage.

Michelin first introduced the X One wide single tyre in 2000. The tyre is restricted in many Canadian jurisdictions due to size and weight laws. Michelin has been lobbying Canadian lawmakers to allow it, arguing that the tyre increases payload, conserving fuel and reducing truck volume on roadways.