The first remanufactured tyres incorporating Michelin Durable Technologies have rolled off Michelin’s new Remix truck tyre retreading operation in Stoke-on-Trent.
This follows a £20m investment programme to upgrade machinery and equipment at the site which will transform Michelin’s UK Remix operation into a world-leading production facility.
Michelin Durable Technologies are a set of tread pattern and tyre ‘architecture’ innovations that extend performance beyond conventional lifespans. The first tyres incorporating Michelin Durable Technologies were launched in the UK and Ireland in 2006 and represented a breakthrough in commercial vehicle tyre manufacturing.
The funding for the modernisation of the factory has been supported by government under the Grant for Business Investment and is part of a long-term plan to sustain manufacturing in the North Staffordshire region.
Michelin UK’s Managing Director, Eric Le Corre said, “This project has seen exciting and challenging technological developments at the site which will help take the factory into the future, and ensure we can continue to offer our customers products with even greater performance and economy in use.”
Business Minister, Mark Prisk, was on site to see the first tyres roll off the new production line, adding, “I am delighted that Michelin is investing in the Stoke plant and making it into a world-leading modern manufacturing facility. Supported by government, this investment is helping to protect over 400 skilled jobs.”
The new facilities, with high specification manufacturing equipment, will offer skills development opportunities to employees, increase productivity and provide improved working conditions. The investment will also significantly reduce solvent emissions, with the plant becoming a benchmark facility for the retreading industry worldwide.
The investment in the Stoke-on-Trent Remix factory enables Michelin to remould tyres incorporating Michelin Durable Technologies within the UK for the first time. Previously, these latest generation tyres were sent to Michelin factories in mainland Europe.
Michelin has manufacturing facilities in Stoke-on-Trent, Dundee and Ballymena. For more information about UK automotive manufacturing, download Motor Industry Facts 2012.
