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.
Ripon-based W Dale & Son has recorded superb longevity from the Michelin BibLoad Hard Surface tyres it specified as original equipment on a JCB Agri Super telehandler. The agricultural and recycling contractor has clocked up more than 5,300 hours on the durable 460/70 R24 fitments, which still have more than 10mm of the original 33mm tread left on the casing.
Michelin North America is the proud recipient of a Caterpillar Supplier Excellence Award 2023. The tyre maker was one of five companies honoured in the Construction Industries category, and Michelin comments that the award demonstrates its “excellence in meeting customer commitments.”
Bridgestone will return to a FIA World Championship for the first time in a decade-and-a-half when it begins delivering tyres to Formula E in 2026/27. The FIA has announced that Bridgestone will serve as tyre supplier to its Gen4 cars, which will debut in Season 13 of the championship. The Japanese tyre maker will follow on from Hankook, which began supplying Formula E in 2023 after accepting the baton from Michelin.
Symbio, Michelin’s equally owned joint venture with automotive supplier Forvia and vehicle manufacturer Stellantis, has inaugurated its SymphonHy facility today. Located in Saint-Fons, within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, the site houses Symbio’s headquarters, a production plant, an innovation hub and the Symbio Hydrogen Academy.
Germany’s position as a centre of manufacturing took another blow today with the confirmation that Michelin will gradually cease production at its Karlsruhe and Trier sites, as well as the manufacture of new tyres and semi-finished products in Homburg. Michelin will also transfer its Customer Contact Center from Karlsruhe to Poland. These changes are expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and will impact a total of 1,532 employees.
The Michelin Fleet Panel recently met for the first time in four years: the panel includes representatives from some of the UK’s biggest leasing, fleet management and rental companies, as well as several major end-user fleets and, at the meeting, it addressed a series of industry challenges. The meeting was held at the Wakefield site of Aston Barclay, the independent remarketing group and vehicle auction house. The panel has been meeting for more than 20 years; membership is voluntary and participants are not required to be Michelin customers. Members called for the industry to accelerate progress towards more sustainable tyres and improve support for fleet managers transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs).
Hazardous good transport specialist Clarke Transport is fitting Michelin’s X Multi new and Remix tyres to its fleet of 475 trucks and trailers. Clarke Transport switched to an exclusive Michelin tyre policy following its three-year partnership with Michelin Connected Fleet, which resulted in improved fleet tracking and driver behaviour. Service provider Tructyre supplies and fits the X Multi tyres, while Tuf Treads in South Wales also conducts some of its local work. The worn tyres will be regrooved and retreaded as Michelin Remix tyres maximising the life of each new Michelin casing. The contract is managed by Michelin’s Services & Solutions division. The Midlands firm said using an exclusive Michelin policy will cut costs and reduce downtime.
On 20 November, Michelin’s Shanghai factory held a groundbreaking ceremony for its expansion project. Michelin plans to increase the production capacity of high-performance, high-value radial passenger tyres at the Shanghai plant while also achieving efficient, clean and flexible production.
As part of efforts to diversify its activities, in 2021 Michelin launched Watèa by Michelin, a France-based business that helps fleets transition to electric mobility. Watèa is now extending its remit to fuel cell vehicles, and Michelin speaks of an ambition to “conquer hydrogen mobility.”
Those of us living in countries that have experienced extensive deindustrialisation may be able to commiserate with workers in Germany’s tyre plants, including the many who have received unsettling news of late. Michael Berthel, chief economist of the German Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (WdK), recently commented that “the situation is not entirely healthy” – and this may be an understatement. Berthel believes an uncertain future awaits more than half of Germany’s tyre manufacturing locations.
In response to its strategy of expanding activities beyond mobility, and against a backdrop of job-changing transformations such as digitalisation and automation, the Michelin Group has signed a three-year job and career management (GEPP) agreement with three major trade unions. Michelin says the aim of this agreement is to bolster the career growth and professional pathways of its 16,000 France-based employees
Tyres produced in the former Michelin plant in Davydovo near Moscow will soon be known under different names. Russian automotive site autopotok.io reports that new owner, Power International Tires, will produce tyres under the Farlight and Selna brands.
Newport haulier Jaga Brothers says it has saved £35,000 in fuel costs across its fleet of 42 trucks and a further £5,600 in tyre replacements on its 130 trailers, following its partnership with Michelin Connected Fleet. The company added that its access to vehicle data analysis has helped its drivers to implement driving behaviour improvements, further affecting positively its cost savings. The company was already using an exclusively Michelin tyre policy before rolling out the Connected Fleet solutions that have yielded additional efficiencies. Jaga Brothers managing director, James Hill, says: “The Michelin Connected Fleet solutions have had a huge financial impact on our business. Our aim was for the service to start paying for itself in the first year and the figures so far have exceeded our expectations.”
Recently, Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux said in an interview in Shanghai that Michelin’s factory in Shanghai will soon expand production on a large scale.
German aerospace company Lilium is developing the world’s first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet, and Michelin has partnered to create tyres for the aircraft. Lilium and Michelin began working together more than a year ago to develop and produce custom tyres for the Lilium Jet and have now signed a final agreement covering design, serial production, and support.
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