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.
Sales of imported tyres in Korea increased by more than 40 per cent in the January to April period when compared with 2016 figures, according to the Korea Tire Manufacturers Association (KOTMA).
If this pace continues, imported tyres will set a record high this year. According to KOTMA, this is largely due to Hyundai Motor and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors introducing imported tyres on their models, media said.
Russian rubber and petrochemicals manufacturer Nizhnekamskneftekhim signed an agreement to provide synthetic rubber to Michelin during a meeting held in late June.
A delegation from the Russian company, including Vladimir Busygin, chairman of the board of directors and other senior officials, visited Michelin’s R&D center in Clermont-Ferrand, France to discuss the supply of new brands of synthetic rubber to the tyre maker.
Michelin Tyre has unveiled a new 53,500 square metre European Distribution Centre (EDC) at its UK headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent. The EDC came following £10 million of investment and has helped create 100 logistics and customer service jobs over the last 12 months.
In addition, work has begun on an additional 12,000 square metre warehouse for Michelin’s truck retread factory, also on Campbell Road. This new project is due to be completed by the end of this year.
Michelin has launched what it says are the first ever ‘3 star’ 24.00R35 tyres on the market – its new ‘X TRA Load’ range for 40 to 80-tonne payload rigid dump trucks. The manufacturer says the tyres offer an increased load capacity, greater tyre life and a significant increase in productivity through improved tonnes per mile.
An investment of 33 million euros is planned for the Michelin factory in Zalău, Romania in order to equip it to produce commercial vehicle tyres for the intermediate segment of the market, including Tigar brand products. In a press release, Michelin shared that the investment will lead to 100 new jobs at the plant by 2021, increasing the facility’s workforce to more than 1,200. This latest investment follows Michelin’s decision to invest 60 million euros in its tyre cord facility in Zalău.
With the signing of a contract, and possibly the clinking of glasses, Michelin sealed its acquisition of a 40 per cent stake in Robert Parker Wine Advocate and RobertParker.com, the world’s most widely read independent consumers’ guide to fine wine. The tyre maker views this equity investment as a measure that strengthens and broadens its “experience in the area of gourmet dining.”
Barnsley’s A Davies Transport reports that it has reduced its running costs across its heavy truck fleet after switching from traditional 295/80 tyres to 315/80 fitments, on the advice of Michelin’s technical team. The company has opted for the Michelin 315/80 R 22.5 X MultiWay 3D tyres, which reportedly offer them a higher mileage potential than the previous, 295/80 R 22.5 X MultiWay 3D fitments.
Steel waste container specialist Fairport Containers has binned its budget tyre policy and switched to Michelin, after a set of premium Michelin fitments achieved almost three times the mileage of a budget competitor in a tyre trial.
A 16-strong group of tyre dealership staff have taken part in the first Michelin Tyre Academy programme of 2017 – a dedicated training course aimed at members of the Michelin Auto Professional network develop the next generation of expert technicians.
Michelin held two launch events, with seven delegates from dealerships in the north of England, Wales and Northern Ireland invited to the Michelin Training Centre in Stoke-on-Trent for the first module, and nine from dealers across the south hosted at Gatwick’s Copthorne Hotel, where they met with Michelin’s technical training team.
Following the news that Michelin has released a couple of new X Multi tyres, one engineering consultancy wrote into Tyres & Accessories to support claims made by the French tyre manufacturer. As part of the launch, Michelin claimed that its new tyres increased mileage by 15 to 20 per cent. According to Pelmar Engineering, the tyres actually exceeded these improvements when the Israel-based firm ran its own tests.
Michelin has announced plans to significantly reorganise globally, resulting in significant job losses in France and the US most of which will be covered by natural attrition.
In the United States 450 jobs in central functions are to be cut between 2018 and 2021. According to Michelin, 1,500 employees would actually leave the company in the same period, suggesting a large majority will result from natural attrition and retirement.
Demand for larger tyre sizes continues to increase, and Michelin intends to better equip its Dundee factory for their production through a project being implemented at a total cost of £16.5 million. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced yesterday that Michelin’s own investment will be supported by a £4.5 million Environmental Protection Grant from Scottish Enterprise.
Acting in concert with Ivory Coast-based company SIFCA, Michelin has opened a simplified cash public tender offer through its 99.99 per cent-owned subsidiary Compagnie Financière Michelin SCmA (CFM) to acquire the 841,285 shares in natural rubber company Société Internationale de Plantations d’Hévéas (SIPH) not currently held by the two parties. Michelin states that it and SIFCA will pay 85 euros for each share in the West Africa-based rubber producer and marketer.
At the 2017 Paris – Le Bourget Air Show, Michelin and Safran have presented the world’s first connected tyres for the aeronautical industry. The innovation, called ‘PresSense’ comprises an electronic pressure sensor installed within the tyre to greatly improve and simplify ground maintenance operations. Michelin reports that the PresSense project is scheduled to be deployed in 2019.
The fleet management package Michelin offers in North America is set to benefit from the company’s acquisition of NexTraq, a US provider of commercial fleet telematics. Yesterday the tyre maker reported its purchase of the Fleetcor Technologies subsidiary in an all-cash transaction.
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