Michelin

Michelin
Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin SCA
Type Publicly traded Société en commandite par actions (EuronextML)
Industry Manufacturing, publishing
Founded 1888
Headquarters Clermont-Ferrand, France
Key people Michel Rollier (General partner and CEO), Eric Bourdais de Charbonnière (Chairman of the supervisory board)
Products Tyres, travel assistance services
Revenue 17.89 billion (2010)[1]
Operating income €1.695 billion (2010)[1]
Profit €1.048 billion (2010)[1]
Total assets €19.66 billion (end 2010)[1]
Total equity €8.127 billion (end 2010)[1]
Employees 111,100 (end 2010)[1]
Website michelin.com

Michelin (French pronunciation: [miʃlɛ̃]; English: /ˈmɪʃəlɪn/ or /ˈmɪtʃəlɪn/; full name: SCA Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin) is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone.[2] In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal (in North America) tyre brands. It is also extremely well known 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.

Among Michelin's numerous inventions, there is the removable tyre, the « pneurail » (a tyre for trains made to run on rails) and the radial tyre technology now used in modern "green tyres" that reduce fuel consumption.

Contents

Tyres and wheels

Michelin manufactures tyres for space shuttles,[3] aircraft, automobiles, heavy equipment, motorcycles, and bicycles.

History

A 1898 poster by "O'Galop" of Bibendum, the Michelin Man
Michelin headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France

Two brothers, Édouard and André Michelin, ran a rubber factory 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 which did not need to be glued to the rim. Michelin was incorporated on 28 May 1888. In 1891, it 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 1891 Paris–Brest–Paris.

Michelin has made a number of innovations to tyres, including in 1946 the radial tyre (then known as the "X" tyre).[4] 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 1930s. As of August 2008, this tyre is still available for the 2CV. In 1934, Michelin introduced a tyre which if punctured would run on a special tire with a foam lining, now known as a run-flat tyre (self-supporting type).

In the 1920s and 1930s, Michelin operated large rubber plantations in Vietnam. The Vietnamese workers were exploited pitilessly and brutally, which led to the famous labour movement Phu Rieng Do.[5]

Michelin tyre plant in Waterville, Nova Scotia

In 1988, Michelin acquired the tyre and rubber manufacturing divisions of the American B.F. Goodrich Company founded in 1870. This included the Norwood, North Carolina manufacturing plant which supplied tyres to the U.S. Space Shuttle Program.[6][7] Two years later, it bought Uniroyal, Inc., founded in 1892 as the United States Rubber Company. Uniroyal Australia had already been bought by Bridgestone in 1980.

Michelin also controls 90% of Taurus Tire in Hungary, as well as Kormoran, a Polish brand.

As of 1 September 2008, Michelin is again the world's largest tyre manufacturer after spending two years as number two behind Bridgestone.[8] Michelin produces tyres in France, Spain, Germany, the USA, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Italy and several other countries. On 15 January 2010, Michelin announced the closing of its Ota, Japan plant, which employs 380 workers and makes the Michelin X-Ice tyre. Production of the X-Ice will be moved to Europe, North America, and elsewhere in Asia.[9]

Motorsports

Michelin is the official tyre supplier of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars used in the Porsche Supercup

MotoGP

Michelin participated in MotoGP from 1972 to 2008. They introduced radial construction to MotoGP in 1984, and multi-compound tyres in 1994. They achieved 360 victories in 36 years, and from 1993 to 2006, the world championship had gone to a rider on Michelins.

In 2007, 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 2008 season, but Bridgestone was reluctant to provide them; Dorna threatened to impose a control tyre on the series, after which Bridgestone relented.

In 2008, Michelin's tyres continued to be perceived as being inferior to Bridgestone's, and 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 2009 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 2009 season and Michelin did not enter a bid, effectively ending its participation in the series at the end of 2008.[10][11][12][13]

Formula One

Michelin first competed in the 1977 Formula One season, when Renault started development of their turbocharged F1 car. Michelin introduced radial tyre technology to Formula One and won the Formula One Drivers' Championship with both Brabham and McLaren, before withdrawing at the end of the 1984 season.

The company returned to Formula One in 2001, supplying Williams, Jaguar, Benetton (renamed Renault in 2002), Prost and Minardi. Toyota joined F1 in 2002 with Michelin tyres, and McLaren also signed up with the company. Michelin tyres were initially uncompetitive but by the 2005 season were totally 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.

Following the debacle of the 2005 United States Grand Prix where, because of safety concerns, Michelin would not allow the teams it supplies to race, Michelin's share price fell by 2.5% (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 20,000 complimentary tickets for the 2006 race to spectators who had attended the 2005 event.

Michelin has had a difficult relationship with the sport's governing body (the FIA) since around 2003, and this escalated to apparent disdain between the two parties during the 2005 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 2008, and threatened to withdraw from the sport. 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 2006. Michelin criticised the move claiming "this event illustrates F1's problems of incoherent decision-making and lack of transparency."

In December 2005, 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 2006 season.[14] Bridgestone was then the sole supplier of tyres to Formula One until the end of the 2010 season, with Pirelli providing tyres for 2011.

The last race won on Michelin tyres in Formula One was the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso benefitting after the Ferrari engine of Michael Schumacher failed during the race. This gave Michelin a second consecutive Constructors' Championship win, with the 2005 and 2006, after Bridgestone's seven-year winning streak, and brought to a total of four the number of wins for Michelin since this event's inception back in the 1958 Formula One season; Michelin's other wins were in the 1979, and 1984 seasons.

Endurance racing

Michelin is involved in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series. In 2009 Michelin supplied tyres for 41 of the 55 cars entered in Le Mans.[15]

Recent developments

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 2012.[16]

Other products

Tyre retailer

Tyre retail in Europe with ATS Euromaster and in the US with its wholly owned subsidiary TCI Tire Centers.[17]

Michelin claim certain tread patterns are available including the remix range (remould/retread) but are not at the distribution places.

Tour guides

Michelin has long published two guidebook series, the Red Guides to hotels and restaurants, and the Green Guides for tourism. It now publishes several additional guides, as well as digital map 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.

Maps

Michelin publishes a variety of road maps, mostly of France but also of other European countries, Africa, Thailand and the United States. They have recently embarked in e-commerce selling Michelin maps and guides directly to the public through, for example, their UK website.[18]

Online mapping

ViaMichelin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Michelin Group, and was started in 2001, to represent Michelin’s digital mapping services. As of August 2008, ViaMichelin generates 400 million maps and routes per month on its main website.[19]

ViaMichelin provides mapping and travel solutions 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

The Michelin Challenge Bibendum is an annual major sustainable mobility event.

Management

Michelin North America headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, United States.

From 1999, the company was headed by CEO Édouard Michelin. On 26 May 2006, Édouard drowned while fishing near the island of Sein, off the coast of Brittany.[20] His death brought Michel Rollier a 2nd cousin of Édouard Michelin, to the head of the company.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Annual Results 2010". Michelin. http://www.michelin.com/corporate/confidential/financeDocuments/Annual_Results_Guide/Guide_des_resultats_EN.pdf. Retrieved 11 February 2011. 
  2. ^ Cronin Fisk, Margaret; O’Reilly, Cary (10 September 2009). "Michelin Loses $12 Million Verdict in Suit Over Crash". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=atXgCB_Ktf04. Retrieved 2009-09-12. 
  3. ^ Chapelcornertyres.com
  4. ^ Travaux de la commission des finances
  5. ^ Solheim, B: The Vietnam War Era: A Personal Journey, page 11, Praeger Publishers, 2006. (See Google Books.)
  6. ^ Karen Barber,"Goodrich Expects to Sell Norwood Plant to Michelin," The Charlotte Observer, October 12, 1988.
  7. ^ "Michelin North America has been the sole tire supplier for the space shuttle program from the first launch in 1981". Greenville News. 2011-07-07. http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110708/BUSINESS/307080003/Michelin-North-America-has-been-the-sole-tire-supplier-for-the-space-shuttle-program-from-the-first-launch-in-1981-. Retrieved 2011-07-14. 
  8. ^ Autoindustriya.com
  9. ^ Michelin.com
  10. ^ "A Fond Farewell". Michelin.com. 2008-10-26. http://www.michelin.com/corporate/front/templates/affich.jsp?codeRubriqueListe=20080212104710&codeRubrique=20080214104032&lang=EN&news_id=23940. Retrieved 2009-09-03. 
  11. ^ Noyes, Dennis (2007-10-03). "Why Dorna is Threatening to Impose a Spec Tire". Speed (TV channel). http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp_why_dorna_is_threatening_to_impose_a_spec_tire/. Retrieved 2009-09-03. 
  12. ^ Noyes, Dennis (2008-08-26). "Michelin’s Last Stand (Part I)". Speed (TV channel). http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-michelins-last-stand-part-i. Retrieved 2009-09-03. 
  13. ^ Noyes, Dennis (2008-08-27). "Michelin’s Last Stand (Part II)". Speed (TV channel). http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-michelins-last-stand-part-ii. Retrieved 2009-09-03. 
  14. ^ F1 News - Michelin will not extend its Formula One involvement beyond the 2006 season - Michelin - 14 December 2005
  15. ^ Considine, Tim (March 2010). "Lessons Learned!". Road & Track 61 (7): 86. 
  16. ^ Gizmodo.com
  17. ^ "TCI® Tire Centers :: Contact Us". tirecenters.com. http://www.tirecenters.com/contactus/contactus.cfm. Retrieved 2011-09-14. 
  18. ^ Michelin.co.uk
  19. ^ ViaMichelin: street map, maps, map UK, route finder, route planner, directions, road map, route map
  20. ^ "Michelin CEO Edouard Michelin has died - police". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/05/26/afx2776441.html. [dead link]
  21. ^ Galloni, Alessandra; Carreyrou, John (2006-05-27). "Michelin Scion Dies; Firm's Reins Leave Family". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114866900467864406.html?mod=home_whats_news_us. 

External links

Portal icon France portal
Portal icon Companies portal
Portal icon Aviation portal

Data


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Michelin — Rechtsform Société en commandite par actions ISIN FR0000121261 Gründung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Michelin — Тип Публичная компания Листинг на бирже …   Википедия

  • Michelin — Tipo Sociedad en comandita por acciones (Euronext: ML) Fundación 1888 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Michelin S. A. — Michelin S. A.,   Compagnie Générale des Établissements [kɔ̃pa ɲi ʒene ral dɛzetablis mã mi ʃlɛ̃ ], französischer Konzern der Reifenindustrie, gegründet 1839; Sitz: Clermont Ferrand. Von Michelin S. A stammen viele bedeutende Erfindungen:… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Michelin — type of tires, 1902, from French motor vehicle manufacturers André (1853 1931) and Édouard (1859 1940) Michelin, who first made the tires …   Etymology dictionary

  • michelín — (De Michelin, marca reg., por alus. a la figura humana formada con neumáticos con que se anuncia). m. coloq. Pliegue de gordura que se forma en alguna parte del cuerpo …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • Michelin — (André) (1853 1931) et son frère Édouard (1859 1940), industriels français; inventeurs du pneumatique démontable …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Michelin — Diminutif de Michel, surtout porté en Saône et Loire. Matronyme : Micheline. Forme italienne ou corse : Michelini …   Noms de famille

  • michelín — sustantivo masculino 1. (preferentemente en plural) Uso/registro: coloquial. Acumulación de grasa en forma de rollo en alguna parte del cuerpo, sobre todo en la cintura: Mi padre hace deporte para quitarse los michelines …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • Michelin — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Michelin (homonymie). Création 1889 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”