LEÓN, Guanajuato, Aug. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Michelin Group
began construction of its 69th global plant today with an official
ground-breaking and traditional first stone ceremony held with
honored government dignitaries, key customers and company leaders
at the new site in León, Guanajuato, in central Mexico.
"Our actions here today demonstrate our confidence in
Mexico's manufacturing
environment, the skilled and talented workforce here and the
infrastructure necessary to deliver tires efficiently throughout
North America," said Jean-Dominique Senard, chief executive officer
of Michelin Group, based in Clermont-Ferrand, France.
"Michelin's customers for passenger-vehicle tires are demanding
more and more of our innovative, high-tech tires to meet the
performance requirements of the growing market in North America," Senard said. "This plant will
improve our capacity to meet those demands, as a key element of
Michelin's 'Service to the Customer' initiative in North America and worldwide."
The new plant, Michelin Group's 21st site in North America, was announced in July. The
plant will comprise approximately 142,000 square meters (more than
1.5 million square feet) on approximately 98 hectares (more than
240 acres) in the Parque Industrial León-Bajio, or "Pilba," as the industrial park is
known locally. The plant represents Michelin Group's largest global
investment for 2016, approximately €450 million (US$510 million), as the Company recently
announced.
Construction of the plant is expected to begin immediately, with
completion currently scheduled for late 2018. Production will
increase gradually thereafter, eventually reaching 4 to 5 million
tires a year, primarily under the Michelin brand for
high-performance and ultra-high-performance cars, light trucks,
SUVs and cross-over vehicles. The plant is expected to employ at
least 1,000 people at capacity.
"We are excited to celebrate this occasion with so many of our
valued customers and respected government leaders across León and
Mexico who have helped us to reach
this key milestone," said Mike
Boggs, director of Michelin Mexico. "We are eager to join
the León business community and look forward to establishing
long-term relationships here."
"The new Michelin investment in Mexico represents a vote of confidence that
strengthens the positioning of Mexico as an investment destination, because
it comes from a company with a long tradition in the industry and
widely recognized for its commitment to innovation," said
Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal,
Mexico's secretary of the
economy.
"The arrival of Michelin is great news, as it marks a
before-and-after in the automotive industry in the Estate, and it
is the most important investment for León so far," said Miguel
Márquez Márquez, governor of the Estate of Guanajuato, Mexico. "This new investment will
trigger social and economic development, as we are talking about
one of the most important tire companies in the world making
Guanajuato the nation's leader in
premium tires production. This is great news for León, Guanajuato, and Mexico."
"This announcement is a sign of the enormous confidence that
world-class companies have in our state, a recognition of the
strengths we have and our ability to become an international
economic actor," said Héctor López Santillana, mayor of León.
"Michelin has not only relied on the municipal government, but on
the people of León and the talent of its people. With this new
plant, León will provide greater dynamism to the expanding
automotive sector in the Bajio
region. We are confident that together, we will open a new era of
opportunities and shared development."
About Michelin Group
Michelin, the leading tire company, is dedicated to enhancing
its clients' mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the
most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients' needs;
providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips
and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing
high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry.
Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand,
France, Michelin is present in 171 countries, has 111,700
employees and operates 68 production facilities in 17 countries,
which together produced 184 million tires in 2015.
(www.michelin.com)
About Michelin North
America
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin
designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle,
including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm
equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company has
earned a long-standing reputation for building innovative premium
tires. Since 1989, Michelin has received 80 J.D. Power tire
customer satisfaction awards — five times the number of all other
tire manufacturers combined. In addition to tires, the company also
publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road
atlases. Headquartered in Greenville,
S.C., Michelin North America
(www.michelinman.com) employs about 22,700 and operates 19
major manufacturing plants.
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SOURCE Michelin