Michelin inaugurates Hungarian car tyre unit

Nyiregyhaza, Hungary -- Michelin has officially opened its latest car tyre manufacturing facility. The new unit is located within Michelin's agricultural tyre factory in the city of Nyiregyhaza in eastern Hungary.

According to a Michelin spokesman, the unit will make 800 000 tyres/year for cars when it reaches full capacity, and employ 217 people. The plant represents an investment of Euro 60 million.

When the company announced the project in April 2004, Michelin said the plant would begin operations in mid-2005 and reach full capacity of 2500 units/day within 12 months.

A spokesman for Michelin said the tyres are destined primarily for the East European region around Nyiregyhaza and Hungary, but would not say what speed ratings the factory would produce. He said "All our factories are capable of producing any speed ratings, and we will produce the tyres that the local market demands."

The spokesman added that there is no further expansion planned at present, but the situation is evolving and Michelin constantly keeps such things under review.