Govt Subsidies Sought for Michelin Dundee

The recently appointed manager at Michelin’s factory in Dundee is said to be seeking Scottish Government investment in the plant. Scotland on Sunday reports that John Reid is seeking these funds in order to reassure Michelin in France “that their operation and the commitment they make to a site is valued by the country it operates in.” Reid, who took over as plant manager in January, also said the Dundee factory aims to specialise in tyres designed for the growing electric car market.

As is the case with many companies, Michelin is looking to save money in regions where production costs are high. And while Reid refers to the Dundee site as belonging amongst the top third of Michelin’s 18 European tyre plants, he admits that in this day and age no facility is safe. “Dundee is a good plant, but in the future there will only be excellent plants. There won’t be good plants,” he said. “We have to drive harder to become an excellent factory. That is the next challenge over the next three to five years.

“We will be looking for government support and grants,” Scotland on Sunday reported Reid as saying. “We have to justify every investment we make and it is a competition. Michelin has a limited resource it can invest. If it can make a better investment in other plants then it will do. If we can get support from local government to bear a percentage of the costs, then it is a little easier to fish in the investment.”

When speaking of the factories positive features, Reid mentioned the site’s wind turbines, which are said to provide some 25 to 30 per cent of the Dundee plant’s energy. These giant structures have attracted local attention of late, mostly for the wrong reasons. A total of seven complaints have been made about the noise produced by the wind turbines since they came on-stream, however it was reported on March 25 that neither government inspectors nor council planning officers have upheld any of these noise complaints. In a report, inspectors said some of the complaints appeared to have been because people did not want the turbines in their backyard. Other complaints addressed  genuine concerns about noise, the report, with the sound from the turbines described by some residents as a “swooshing” or “swishing” sound. Inspectors agreed the turbines were audible, deciding whether the noise breached any regulations proved difficult.