Michelin unveiling first tyre at new OTR plant

Today Michelin North America will present the first earthmover tyre produced at its new Starr OTR tyre factory in South Carolina, USA. The tyre maker is holding an invitation-only event to unveil the 13 foot (4 metre) tall, 5.5 ton tyre at the new factory, which is located adjacent to Michelin’s existing rubber processing plant.

In April 2012, the company announced a US$750 million investment to build the Starr OTR factory and to expand its OTR plant in Lexington, South Carolina. It laid out an “aggressive timeframe” for building the new plant, with groundbreaking taking place in the second half of April 2012 and the start of tyre production before the end of 2013. At the time, Michelin North America shied away from specifying how much of the $750 million investment was directed towards the new plant and how many of the 500 new jobs anticipated from both projects will be in the Starr plant. This information is still not public knowledge; however economic development officials at Anderson County, where the plant is located, hope at least 300 of the jobs will be at the new plant.