Several weeks ago, prior to visiting the Michelin plant in Bad Kreuznach, Germany, I witnessed the partial demolition of what until recently was one of the country’s most modern and efficient power plants. Capable of satisfying almost the entire electricity requirements of neighbouring Hamburg yet decommissioned after less than seven years in what the local Environment Minster called a “symbolic” gesture, the blasting of the 3-billion-euro plant’s chimneys delivered a depressing reminder of the challenges that tyre makers and other manufacturers face in Western Europe. Perhaps the Michelin team could restore some lost optimism.