Valentino rossi bike design

French multinational tyre manufacturing company

This article is about the company. For its restaurant guide and the stars awarded by it, see Michelin Guide.

Michelin (MISH-əl-in, MITCH-əl-in, French:[miʃlɛ̃]), in full Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin SCA ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpesrégion of France.

It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larger than both Goodyear and Continental.^[2] In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the Kléber tyres company, Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire Company, SASCAR, Bookatable and Camso brands. Michelin is also notable for its Red and Green travel guides, its roadmaps, the Michelin stars that the Red Guide awards to restaurants for their cooking, and for its company mascot Bibendum, colloquially known as the Michelin Man, who is a humanoid consisting of tyres.^[3]

Michelin's numerous inventions include the removable tyre, the pneurail (a tyre for rubber-tyred metros) and the radial tyre.

Michelin manufactures tyres for Space Shuttles,^[4]aircraft, automobiles, heavy equipment, motorcycles, and bicycles. In , the group produced &#;million tyres at 69 facilities located in 18 countries.^[5]

History

In , two brothers, Édouard Michelin (–) and André Michelin (–), ran a farm implement business in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

One day a cyclist whose pneumatic tyre needed repair turned up at the factory. The tyre was glued to the rim, and it took over three hours to remove and repair the tyre, which then needed to be left overnight to dry. The next day, Édouard Michelin took the repaired bicycle into the factory yard to test. After only a few hundred metres, the tyre failed.

Despite the setback, Édouard was enthusiastic about the pneumatic tyre, and he and his brother worked on creating their own version, one that did not need to be glued to the rim. Michelin was incorporated on 28 May In Michelin took out its first patent for a removable pneumatic tyre which was used by Charles Terront to win the world's first long-distance cycle race, the Paris–Brest–Paris.^{[citation needed]}

In the s and s, Michelin operated large rubber plantations in Vietnam.

Conditions at these plantations led to the famous labour movement Phú Riềng Đỏ.^[6]

In , Michelin introduced a tyre which, if punctured, would run on a special foam lining, a design now known as a run-flat tyre (self-supporting type).^{[citation needed]}

Michelin developed and patented a key innovation in tyre history, the radial tyre, and successfully exploited this technological innovation to become one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers.^[8] The radial was initially marketed as the "X" tyre.^[9] It was developed with the front-wheel-drive Citroën Traction Avant and Citroën 2CV in mind.

Michelin had bought the then-bankrupt Citroën in the s.

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Because of its superiority in handling and fuel economy, use of this tyre quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia.^[8] In the U.S., the outdated bias-ply tyre persisted, with a market share of 87% in ^[8]

In , Michelin partnered with Sears to produce radial tyres under the Allstate brand and was selling 1&#;million units annually by ^[10]

In , Michelin opened its first North American sales office, and was able to grow that market for its products rapidly; by the company had a 10% market share for OEM tyres purchased by American automobile makers.^[11]

Also in , Consumer Reports, an influential American magazine, acknowledged the superiority of the radial construction, setting off a rapid decline in Michelin's competitor technology.^[10] In the U.S., the radial tyre now has a market share of %.^[8]

In addition to the private label and replacement tyre market, Michelin scored an early OEM tyre win in North America, when it received the contract for the Continental Mark III, the first American car with radial tyres fitted as standard.^[12]

In , Michelin acquired the recently merged tyre and rubber manufacturing divisions of the American firms B.F.

Goodrich Company (founded in ) and Uniroyal, Inc. (founded in as the United States Rubber Company) from Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.^[11][13] Uniroyal Australia had already been bought by Bridgestone in This purchase included the Norwood, North Carolina manufacturing plant which supplied tyres to the U.S.

Space Shuttle Program.^[14][15]

As of 1 September , Michelin is again the world's largest tyre manufacturer after spending two years as number two behind Bridgestone.^[16] Michelin produces tyres in France, Serbia, Poland, Spain, Germany, the US, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, India, Italy and several other countries.

On 15 January , Michelin^[17] announced the closing of its Ota, Japan plant, which employs workers and makes the Michelin X-Ice tyre. Production of the X-Ice will be moved to Europe, North America, and elsewhere in Asia.^[18] In , Michelin announced that plants in Germany and France are to be closed soon.^[19]

Michelin also controls 90% of Taurus Tyre in Hungary, as well as Kormoran,^[20] a Polish brand.

In December , Michelin acquired Camso, a manufacturer of off-the-road tyres, tracks, and accessories for power sports, agriculture, material handling and construction markets.^[21]

On 22 January , it was announced that Michelin had acquired Indonesian manufacturer Multistrada Arah Sarana, which produces Achilles Radial and Corsa tyres.^[22] On 19 June that year, Michelin owns % of the share capital of Multistrada.^[23]

Motorsport

MotoGP

Michelin participated in MotoGP from to They introduced radial construction to MotoGP in , and multi-compound tyres in They achieved victories in 36 years, and from to , the world championship had gone to a rider on Michelins.^{[citation needed]}

In , Casey Stoner on Bridgestone tyres won the world championship in dominating fashion, and Valentino Rossi and other top riders complained that Michelins were inferior.

Rossi wanted Bridgestones for the season, but Bridgestone was reluctant to provide them; Dorna threatened to impose a control tyre on the series, after which Bridgestone relented.^{[citation needed]}

In , Michelin committed errors of judgment in allocating adequate tyres for some of the race weekends.

Dani Pedrosa's team switched to Bridgestones in the midst of the season, a highly unusual move that caused friction between Honda Racing Corporation and their sponsor Repsol YPF. Other riders also expressed concerns and it seemed that Michelin might not have any factory riders for the season, leading to rumours that Michelin would withdraw from the series altogether.

Dorna and the FIM announced that a control tyre would be imposed on MotoGP for the season and Michelin did not enter a bid, effectively ending its participation in the series at the end of ^{[24][25][26][27]}

Michelin returned to MotoGP in as the official tyre supplier after Bridgestone's withdrawal from the series at the end of ^{[citation needed]}

Formula One

See also: Formula One tyres

Michelin first competed in the Formula One season, when Renault started the development of their turbocharged F1 car.

Michelin introduced radial tyre technology to Formula One and won the Formula One Drivers' Championship with Brabham and McLaren, before withdrawing at the end of ^{[citation needed]}

The company returned to Formula One in , supplying the Williams, Jaguar, Benetton (renamed Renault in ), Prost and Minardi teams.

Toyota joined F1 in with Michelin tyres, and McLaren also signed up with the company.

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Michelin Tyres were initially uncompetitive but by the season were dominant. This was partly because the new regulations stated that tyres must last the whole race distance (and qualifying), and partly because only one top team (Ferrari) was running Bridgestones, and so had to do much of the development work. Michelin in contrast had much more testing and race data provided by the larger number of teams running their tyres.^{[citation needed]}

Following the debacle of the United States Grand Prix where, because of safety concerns, Michelin would not allow the teams it supplied to race, Michelin's share price fell by % (though it recovered later the same day).

On 28 June, Michelin announced that it would offer compensation to all race fans who had bought tickets for the Grand Prix. The company committed to refunding the price of all tickets for the race. Additionally, it announced that it would provide 20, complimentary tickets for the race to spectators who had attended the event.^{[citation needed]}

Michelin has had a difficult relationship with the sport's governing body (the FIA) since around and this escalated to apparent disdain between the two parties during the season.

The most high-profile disagreement was at the United States Grand Prix and the acrimony afterwards. Michelin criticised the FIA's intention to move to a single source (i.e. one brand) tyre from and threatened to withdraw from the sport.

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In a public rebuke, FIA President Max Mosley wrote: "There are simple arguments for a single tyre, and if [Michelin boss Édouard Michelin] is not aware of this, he shows an almost comical lack of knowledge of modern Formula One". Another bone of contention has been the reintroduction of tyre changes during pit-stops from Michelin criticised the move claiming "this event illustrates F1's problems of incoherent decision-making and lack of transparency".^{[citation needed]}

In December , and as a result of the difficult relationship with the sport's governing body, Michelin announced that it would not extend its involvement in Formula One beyond the season.^[28]Bridgestone was then the sole supplier of tyres to Formula One until the end of the season, with Pirelli providing tyres for

The last race won on Michelin tyres in Formula One was the Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso benefitted after the Ferrari engine of Michael Schumacher failed during the race.

This gave Michelin a second consecutive Constructors' Championship win, with the and , after Bridgestone's seven-year winning streak, and brought to a total of four the number of titles for Michelin since this championship's inception back in the Formula One season; Michelin's other titles were in the , and seasons.^{[citation needed]}

Endurance racing

Michelin is involved in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series.

Involvement in Le Mans began with supplying tyres for the winner of the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as nine others of the 33 entrants.^[29][30] In Michelin supplied tyres for 41 of the 55 cars that entered in Le Mans.^[31] In they provided tyres to the Audi, Porsche and Toyota LMP1 teams, as well as the AF Corse, BMW, Corvette, Ford Ganassi, Porsche and Risi teams in GTE-Pro / GTLM.

Beginning in , Michelin will replace Continental as the official tyre of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.^[32] Along with supplying tyres for IMSA's top three series, the partnership includes naming rights for the Sports Car Challenge series and the North American Endurance Cup.

Michelin has also supplied tyres in the European Le Mans Series.

They have been the exclusive supplier of the LMP3 class since

Rallying

In the World Rally Championship, Michelin has been the supplier of the Audi, Citroën, Ford, Lancia, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Toyota and Volkswagen factory teams. Michelin Group brand BFGoodrich represented the brand in and The company was absent from to , when Pirelli was signed as the official supplier, after which they returned to the series as an official supplier from to until Pirelli won the tender to once again become an official supplier from onwards.^{[citation needed]}

Recent developments

• Pax System
• Tweel
• X One
• Agri
• BAZ Technology.

  Michelin employs specific tread construction, that uses spiral-wrapped nylon strips. The strips are applied in the tread area above steel belts in order to oppose centrifugal force, in order to avoid tyre distortion at high speeds.

• EverGrip Technology. This is a patented safety technology that allows combining tread groove design. This way, it does not just wear down, but evolves due to high traction tread compound, which makes driving safer on snowy and wet roads.^{[clarification needed]}
• Zero Pressure Technology means a reinforced sidewall that is designed to continue supporting the vehicle's weight even when air pressure is lost.

  The technology allows driving at speeds between 50 and 55&#;mph for some time.

Active Wheel

Main article: Active Wheel

Active Wheel from Michelin includes in-wheel electric motors and a motorised suspension to free up space in the front or rear of the vehicle. This model also eliminates the need for other notorious space hogs like transmissions and exhaust systems.

The wheels already have a vehicle ready to receive them, the Heuliez Will from Opel, and are also expected to come standard on the Venturi Volage sometime in ^[33] The project was interrupted in ^[34]

Other products

Tyre retailer

Michelin operates tyre retail and distribution in Europe under Euromaster and Blackcircles^[35] brands, and in the US with its wholly owned subsidiary TCI Tire Centers.^[36] TCI tire centers was folded into NTW, when Michelin partnered with Sumitomo to form the entity.^[37] The company also manages its own e-commerce store,

Tour guides

Main article: Michelin Guide

Michelin has long published two guidebook series, the Red Guides for Hotels and Restaurants, and the Green Guides for tourism.

It now publishes several additional guides, as well as digital maps and guide products. The city maps in both the Red and the Green guides are of high quality, and are linked to the smaller-scale road maps.^{[citation needed]}

Maps

Michelin publishes a variety of road maps, mostly of France but also of other European countries, countries in Africa, Thailand and the United States.

They have recently embarked on e-commerce selling Michelin maps and guides directly to the public through, for example, their UK website.^[38] The Michelin roadmaps were reproduced in England for the Allied invasion during World War II. In , the Germans also reproduced the edition of Michelin maps for the invasion.^[39]

Online mapping

Main article: ViaMichelin

ViaMichelin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Michelin Group, and was started in , to represent Michelin's digital mapping services.

As of August , ViaMichelin generates &#;million maps and routes per month on its main website.^[40]

ViaMichelin provides mapping for internet, mobile and satellite navigation products with street level coverage of Europe, USA, Australia, and parts of Asia and South America.

Michelin Challenge Bibendum / Movin'On (since )

The Michelin Challenge Bibendum is a major sustainable mobility event.^{[citation needed]}

Michelin Truck and Bus

In , 6 years after Michelin patented its Radial Casing, Michelin adapted the radial technology to truck tyres.^[41]

Management

From , the company was headed by CEO Édouard Michelin.

On 26 May , Édouard drowned while fishing near the island of Sein, off the coast of Brittany.^[43] His death brought Michel Rollier, a 2nd cousin of Édouard Michelin, to the head of the company. Rollier was replaced in May by Jean-Dominique Senard.^[44] In , Jean-Dominique Senard announced he would not seek re-election at the shareholders' meeting in As a result, the shareholders elected Florent Menegaux to succeed Senard starting in

The company also has its headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, United States as Michelin North America.

They first manufactured in the city in before opening up their headquarters a decade later.^[42]

Corporate governance

Corporate governance consists of two managers and an executive committee whose members are:^[1]

• Éric-Philippe Vinesse, Executive Vice President, Research & Development
• Lorraine Frega, Executive Vice President, Distribution, Services & Solutions, Strategy, Innovation and Partnerships
• Yves Chapot, General Manager and Chief Financial Officer
• Adeline Challon-Kemoun, Executive Vice President, Engagement and Brands
• Jean-Claude Pats, Executive Vice President, Personnel
• Bénédicte de Bonnechose, Executive Vice President, Urban and Long-Distance Transportation and European Regions
• Pierre-Louis Dubourdeau, Executive Vice President, Manufacturing
• Florent Menegaux, Managing Chairman
• Scott Clark, Executive Vice President, Automotive, Motorsports, Experiences and Americas Regions
• Serge Lafon, Executive Vice President, Specialties and Africa/India/Middle East, China, East Asia and Australia Regions
• Maude Portigliatti, Executive Vice President, High-Tech Materials.

See also

References

External links