French tire giant Michelin is arguably one of the world's most famous tire manufacturers, if not the most famous. That's hardly surprising when you consider that the company and its mythical Michelin Man have been producing tires and recommending restaurants for almost a century and a half. Throughout its 135-year history, the company has established itself all over the world, but still continues to produce in its homeland, notably at the Michelin plant in Roanne, near Lyon.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the plant, which specializes in luxury and ultra-high-performance tires, the company offered us a look back at the history of the place, but also at what awaits it in the not-so-distant future. More efficient, comfortable for workers and environmentally friendly, the Roanne site and its ingenious innovations are truly worth highlighting!
A decade of renovations
Work on the Roanne plant began in 2014, when the site was producing mainly mid-range tires for the consumer market. Thanks to investments of over 300 million euros, a complete modernization process was carried out. Today, the site is unrecognizable and produces mainly large-size products (19 inches and over) for the European market.
As part of a project called Phoenix, Michelin implemented a new tire manufacturing process called C3M, which is much more efficient and largely automated. Today, 90% of the tires manufactured at Roanne use this process, and the plant is an example of modernity in its field. The implementation of the C3M process has also enabled us to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as water consumption. Technology is therefore at the heart of the company's plan to reduce its environmental impact.
In Roanne, but not only!
Of course, I realize that the majority of consumers will never see a tire produced in the Michelin plant in Roanne, not only because most of them are dedicated to the European market, but also because they are suitable for a narrow range of luxury and sporty vehicles. But it's not just near Lyon that Michelin continues to innovate. On the agricultural side, a new machine called COSMOS was recently introduced at the Troyes plant, also in France. These new technologies promise to further improve such high-performance products as the Pilot Alpin 5 and CrossClimate 2. Only time will tell what impact these Michelin innovations will have!
