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.
Although tyre tests cover everything from handling to comfort and fuel consumption, the value of a tyre’s role in bringing a vehicle to a safe stop can’t be underestimated. Auto Bild agrees – it’s the criterion the motoring magazine uses to determine which tyres to further examine in its tyre tests, and which it should eliminate.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service will fit Michelin tyres across its 100 heavy fire appliances, in the service’s first major tyre policy change in 20-plus years. Its vehicles are used to respond to around 3,200 fires, 500 road traffic collisions and 500 other emergency incidents annually. The new tyre policy mirrors that operated by the two other Fire and Rescue Authorities in Wales. The Michelin X Multi Z all-position tyres will be supplied and fitted by Tructyre ATS, with a small amount of fitment work undertaken by the service’s own in-house workshops, on a predominantly 15-tonne Volvo truck fleet.
Huw Lewis Tyres has become the first Michelin Auto Professional (MAP) dealer to benefit from bespoke new training. Michelin is delivering custom on-site coaching in a ‘real-world’ environment to help advocate dealers enhance customer offer and boost sales. The new training is available to the MAP network in the UK and Ireland during 2019, with the local Michelin territory business manager working closely with owners to focus training where it can have the biggest impact.
As leading well-known tyre manufacturers transition into automotive suppliers, and mobility providers and as the vehicle parc become increasingly electrified, the value of entering the battery manufacturing space is obvious.
Motorists in China can now buy Michelin tyres online thanks to an expansion of Michelin China’s partnership with JD.com, the country’s largest retailer. JD.com has launched a first-party flagship store on its platform. The newly-extended partnership will also see Michelin and JD.com integrate their offline automotive service networks; consumers buying Michelin tyres on JD.com will be given priority to choose service networks such as TyrePlus for fitment.
Michelin’s all-season tyre for light commercial vehicles will be available in the USA and Canada as of 1 April. Michelin North America has released the range seen in the UK and Europe in five C-Metric sizes, offering fitments to European van platforms that have become increasingly popular in the North American market. The Agilis CrossClimate name has also been given to a LT-Metric tyre designed specifically for ¾- and 1-ton pick-up trucks and vans. This product can be identified at a glance by its non-directional tread pattern; the LT-Metric range covers 16 sizes.
In the USA, Ford Motor is supplying Michelin Selfseal tyres for the new Ford Explorer. The 2020 Explorer is the first SUV to offer Michelin Selfseal tyres, according to Ford.
Michelin has defended its title as the world’s most valuable tyre brand despite a 9 per cent decrease in brand value to US$7.2 billion, according to the latest report by leading independent brand valuation and strategy consultancy, Brand Finance.
Midlands-based John Oates Horseboxes is introducing a new retrofit technology on both its new and used vehicles to address the issue of tyre under-inflation, which the company’s Head of Sales James Haddock describes as a “major problem in the market”.
The bespoke horsebox manufacturer has teamed up with official Michelin licensee Wheely-Safe to offer the Michelin Tyre Pressure Management System (TPMS) Light Fleet across all its horseboxes.
Cockburnspath-based R&C Crichton has become the first farmer in Scotland to specify Michelin’s new RoadBib tyres – designed to provide high performance, longevity and traction on machines used intensively on the road. Jamie Crichton specified the new tyres for his high-spec JCB Fastrac 4220 after hearing positive reports from Henzell Enterprises in Northumberland, one of the contractors involved in pre-launch testing for Michelin.
Michelin will exhibit its latest generation connected tyre technologies in a dedicated zone on the Road Haulage Association’s (RHA) stand at the Commercial Vehicle Show for the second successive year. The company will showcase two new wheel and tyre safety systems, designed and manufactured by Wheely-Safe, an official Michelin licensee, for fitment to vehicles regardless of tyre brand policy.
In 2017, Michelin stated that hydrogen “ticks all the boxes” for its vision of sustainable mobility. The company’s activities in this area are now moving forward with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to create a new joint venture that will bring together all of Michelin’s fuel cell related activities, including its subsidiary Symbio, with those of automotive parts manufacturer Faurecia.
Michelin has been named Tire Manufacturer of the Year by a global panel of 31 tyre industry specialists. Michelin was awarded the prize at the 2019 Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence at a ceremony during Tire Technology Expo 2019 at the Deutsche Messe, Hannover, Germany.
Construction industry specialist Biker Group reports that it is saving up to £80,000 a year on fuel costs and tyre-related downtime after taking on a 100 per cent Michelin policy.
Rolling resistance data provided by the manufacturer – and verified by the firm – shows the efficiencies given by the Michelin X Works tyres have helped cut its annual CO2 emissions by 209 tonnes thanks to the improved fuel efficiency compared to competitor tyres.
Michelin has long been a leading player in the truck and bus tyre markets, with customers ranging from some of the largest fleets out there to owner operators. And yet, recent years have been tough for everyone in the commercial vehicle segment as the forces of economic uncertainty combined with a tidal wave of low-cost Chinese tyres have put pressure on businesses. As we approach Brexit, roughly a year after anti-Chinese truck tyre imports were implemented, Tyres & Accessories spoke to Michelin business-to-business sales director, Chris Smith as well as Andrew French (Michelin director services) and solutions in order to find out more.
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