Tyre industry pioneers, Michelin has a long history. Having begun in 1889, Michelin is now the second-largest tyre manufacturer in the world after Bridgestone and larger than both Goodyear and Contineantal.
Analytics firm Clarivate has published its 100 Top Innovators 2022 list, and several familiar names are present. Continental debuts as a new entrant, whilst Bridgestone and Michelin both return to the list for a fourth time. Michelin shares that it received this recognition from Clarivate during yesterday’s R&D forum at its technology centre near Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Family-run haulier FG Bond & Son has specified Michelin X Line Energy tyres as original equipment on its new Volvo FH 500, having been hugely impressed with the fuel savings the same tyres have delivered in the past. The Wiltshire-based business is taking advantage of the sustainability benefits of Michelin’s most fuel-efficient truck tyres, after it found the fitments to unlock a one mpg advantage in fuel efficiency compared to a competitor brand it had been running on the front axle of another truck.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Michelin and Hyundai Motor Group will facilitate the development of a new generation of tyres optimised for electric vehicles (EVs). The three-year agreement, a follow-up to the partnership of November 2017 that resulted in an exclusive Michelin tyre for the Hyundai Ioniq 5, covers joint work on tyres containing an increased level of eco-friendly materials, tyres optimised for next-generation EVs as well as a real-time tyre monitoring system for autonomous vehicles.
After suspending its manufacturing activities in Russia on 15 March, Michelin now confirms that it is “technically impossible to resume production,” due in particular to supply issues, amid a context of general uncertainty. It says Michelin Group is “therefore compelled” to plan the transfer of all of its Russian operations by the end of 2022.
Michelin is growing its non-tyre activities with the debut of Michelin AirProne, an air cushion kit designed for patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Made by AirCaptif, a French start-up that Michelin acquired in 2021, the kit will soon be available throughout Europe following its initial launch in France.
The 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed begins today, and amongst the many delights on show is the new, fully-electric Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 ePerformance. The Porsche test vehicle is particularly interesting to tyre aficionados as it is equipped with Michelins that contain 53 per cent sustainable materials.
With the purchase of the 49 per cent shareholding that Barito Pacific Group had in Royal Lestari Utama (RLU), the joint venture pilot project to develop sustainable rubber tree plantations in Indonesia becomes a 100 per cent Michelin-owned affair. Moving forwards, Michelin views RLU as a “significant long-term opportunity to actively contribute to making the natural rubber sector more sustainable.”
Tyre lovers, people who take sustainability seriously and anyone who knows how to tell the time will benefit from a recent collaboration between Michelin and Bamford London. The tyre maker and luxury products specialist have teamed up to create 133 limited edition watches – one timepiece for each year since Michelin was founded in 1889.
A swap and a new addition – that’s how the changes amongst the top 10 largest automotive suppliers by turnover worldwide can be summed up. Places one to five stayed the same as last year. That means: Bosch leads the top 10, followed by Denso, Continental, ZF Friedrichshafen and Magna. Behind them, Hyundai Mobis, now sixth, and Aisin, now seventh, have swapped places compared to the ranking published last year, before Michelin and Bridgestone follow unchanged in eighth and ninth place respectively.
Michelin remains the world’s leading tyre company by sales turnover, but Bridgestone is close behind in one of three close battles distributed across the table. For the first time, our research ranking market-leading global tyre manufacturers in terms of sales turnover converted into euros, illustrates the impact of recent high-profile acquisitions as well as the ongoing disruption of pandemic on the wider market landscape.
Michelin has launched a new free-to-use app to help tyre dealers and fleets access the latest technical information about Michelin bus, coach, truck and trailer tyres, plus selected van fitments, on their smartphones, wherever they’re working. Michelin MyTechXpert is available for iOS and Android devices and is an evolution of the well-known Michelin technical data book, which has been a trusted compendium of Michelin commercial vehicle tyre information for decades.
Lincolnshire-based Tathwell Farms has taken delivery of a New Holland T7.270 tractor and a Horsch Avatar 6.16 drill, both fitted with Michelin’s latest generation agricultural tyres, as part of an ongoing strategy to protect its soil and boost the sustainability of its operation. Supplied by local dealer Lincolnshire Motors, the T7.270 will be the farm’s new frontline tractor and has been specified with Michelin AxioBib 2 VF 600/60 R30 & VF 710/60 R42 tyres. The Horsch drill has been converted onto Michelin TrailXBib VF 710/50 R26.5 fitments, following a recommendation from Michelin agricultural account manager, Ian Whitwell.
Following the publication of Michelin’s first quarter 2022 financial results, group CEO Florent Menegaux commented on the appointment of Pierre Michelin as president of the Michelin family’s Mage-Invest holding company. Mage-Invest holds 4.2 per cent of the shares and 7 per cent of the voting rights of Michelin Group.
Shareholders at the Annual Meeting of Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin on 13 May voted in favour of splitting the par value of the Michelin share into four. Michelin explains that this decision is linked to the 66 per cent rise in the share price between 31 December 2018 (€86.70) and 31 December 2021 (€144.15).
Michelin Connected Fleet made its UK debut at the ITT Hub truck technology event in Farnborough on 11 May 2022. Michelin Connected Fleet is an evolution of Michelin’s 2019 acquisition of Masternaut and interfacing with other comparable systems in the Michelin portfolio. The technology, which is as much about service and support as it is technology, was launched in Spain and France in 2021. Next up are Germany and South Africa later in 2022, followed by markets such as Sweden and Benelux after that.
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