Michelin Tyres

Origin and Expansion

Michelin, headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, is the largest tyre manufacturer in the world. Founded in 1889, the multinational tyre manufacturing giant has expanded its business across Europe, Asia and North America. The company derives its name from founder brothers Édouard Michelin and André Michelin, who ran a rubber factory in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The manufacturer produces tyres in Germany, Spain, Poland, Serbia, US, UK, Japan, Brazil and Thailand. In India, the brand established its base in Chennai over a decade ago, and since then, it has been rapidly spreading its manufacturing and distribution network.

Michelin came to India with a vision to tap the burgeoning automotive market by offering a range of products featuring the best of the company’s technology. The brand aims to design, produce and market products that meet the challenges of rising mobility in the country. The company currently offers a wide range of tyres from two-wheelers to passenger cars, Truck and Bus and off-road vehicles. Michelin has an average market share of 3 per cent in India, while it aims to occupy 16 per cent of the total market in the truck segment.

The quality of products has garnered a huge fan following for the company, especially in the high-performance two-wheelers, passenger cars and SUVs. The brand has been playing a vital role in developing the best of technologies such as PAX (run-flat tyre) system, Tweel (airless tyre design) and BAZ Technology (spiral-wrapped nylon stripstread design). Its EverGrip technology employs distinctive grooves that gets wider as it wears and Zero Pressure Technology that allows driving up to 80 km at 80 kph with a flat tyre. The tyremaker is also active in Motorsport, including Formula One, MotoGP, Endurance Racing and Rallying.

The company is growing steadily in India even though its products are available at a 7-8% premium over its competitors in the medium and heavy vehicles segment. The brand aims to invest INR 4,000 crore in its sole Chennai plant and expand the production capacity to 30,000 tons annually. The demand push comes majorly from the truck and bus radial tyres. Chennai manufacturing unit is also its largest and most advanced facility in the world, and over 70 per cent of products manufactured here serve the Indian market.

Due to its constant innovation and up-gradation at the production level, Michelin is rapidly becoming the preferred choice for performance motorcycles, passengers cars and heavy-duty truck segments.

Facilities

Michelin claims to be the undisputed leader in the R&D department with an estimated budget of 892 million USD as of 2020 and dedicated manpower of 6,000 people and 10,700 active patents worldwide. The company’s high-performance centre of research and development is headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, which is being upgraded with an investment of around 138 million USD.

The tyremaker is also strengthening its presence in India with a new R&D hub in Gurgaon and a lab in Manesar for testing materials. These facilities have been established to produce cutting-edge products crafted specifically for the Indian conditions in mind. The latest X Guard range of radial tyres made for trucks and X Multi range of commercial tubeless tyres is the outcome of its local research and development operations.

Achievements

• Rubber Manufacturers Association awarded two production facilities of Michelin in the US for excellence in worker health and safety, and six were recognized for significant improvements in these categories.
• At the Tyre Technology Expo 2020 in Hanover, Michelin was bestowed with the prestigious title of Tyre Manufacturer of the Year for the second year in a row.
• Awarded the Tyre Technology 2020 Innovation Award for its ‘airless’ passenger tyre UPTIS.
• Awarded the Quality Management System Certification ISO 9001 and ISO/TS 16949:2009 to its production facility located near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Got the 2019 SmartWay Excellence Award from US Environmental Protection Agency.
• Gained top customer satisfaction scores in the 2020 J.D. Power Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction Study.
• Grabbed the top spot in all three tyre categories in Car Talk’s 2021 Golden Wrench Awards: Best Tyre Brand, Best All-Season Tyre and Best High-Performance Tyre.
• Named No. 1 in Forbes List of Best Large Employers in America in 2018.
• Vision Concept Tyre of the Future selected in the “25 Best Inventions of 2017”
• North American wing selected as the 2014 Manufacturing Leadership Award in the Product Leadership category.
•  Honoured with the John Bolster Award for its contribution towards and success in motor racing.

Passenger Car Tyre

The passenger car tyre range of Michelin covers hatchbacks, sedans, vans and SUVs. Some of the most notable products in the passenger segment include Energy, Latitude, Primacy and Pilot Sport among others. The tyre category ranges from on-road to sports performance and comfort & luxury. Michelin provides premium quality tyres with comfortable ride quality and optimum performance as compared to competitors.

Motorcycle and Scooter Tyre

The tyres produced by Michelin for two-wheelers covers several segments including Sports, Sports Tourer, Roadster and Custom Cruiser. All these tyres are manufactured with exclusive front & rear tread designs and unique compounds that return superior grip and apt handling. Some of the prominent names in the two-wheeler tyre category include Scorcher, Road, City, Power and Street.

Truck Tyre

Michelin range for truck tyres comprises exclusively designed and engineered products for the Indian market. The tyres are made for general goods carriers and medium and long haul transporters with longer-lasting, efficient, lighter and robust tread patterns. Some of the top products for trucks include X Multi Energy Z, X Multi Z, AGILIS HD and Multi X Tubeless.

Manufacturing facilities in India and abroad

The largest tyre producer across the globe has 70 production facilities in 18 countries worldwide, including 20 major manufacturing plants in North America alone. The sole manufacturing unit in India is located 50 km north of Chennai at SIPCOT Thervoy Kandigai Industrial Park.

Michelin Sales Network

Michelin has around 5,000 outlets across 150 locations in India. The French tyremaker is constantly working to cement its position in the market by expanding its network in every nook and corner of the country.