Michelin restructuring tire operations in China, Poland

Clermont-Ferrand, France -Michelin is continuing to realign its manufacturing base for truck tires and related semi-finished products, the group announced 24 April in a first quarter financial statement.

Measures, it said, include "the forthcoming conversion of the plants in Olsztyn, Poland and Shenyang, China to passenger car tire production and the shutdown of metal reinforcement operations at the Shanghai, China facility."

Operational since 1968, the Olsztyn plant has the capacity to manufacture 203 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of passenger car, light truck, truck & bus, agricultural as well as industrial tires.

The Shenyang tire factory, operational since 2013, the capacity to produce 183ktpa of passenger car, light truck and truck & bus tires.

Michelin announced the conversion project in China last year, with the planned investment of Yuan200 million (€25 million) at the site to increase the production of high-performance radial tires by 1.3 million units per year.

As part of the project, the group said it aimed to dismantle three existing vulcanisation production lines for truck & bus tires and make adjustments to the remaining mixing production lines.

Once completed, the Chinese factory will have the capacity to produce 1.1 million truck and bus tires and 17.3 million car tires annually. (ERJ report)

ERJ has requested further details from Michelin about these developments.