Michelin North America is to again expand its operations in South Carolina. Michelin, the largest manufacturing employer in the state, is breaking ground next week on a new earthmover tyre manufacturing plant in Anderson County, while also expanding its existing earthmover tyre facility in Lexington, South Carolina. The two projects represent a $750 million investment and will create up to 500 new jobs. This announcement is in addition to Michelin’s 2011 commitment to add an estimated 270 jobs and invest $200 million in its existing Lexington passenger and light truck tyre manufacturing facility. This expanded operation at Lexington will begin production in October.
“Michelin intends to maintain and strengthen its leadership in all its specialty businesses, especially Earthmover radial tyres,” said Jean-Dominique Senard, managing general partner of Michelin. “The market for earthmover tyres grew by more than 20% between 2009 and 2011. This new facility will help us meet sustained demand while also attaining our growth objectives for 2015.” Michelin North America’s Chairman and President Pete Selleck said: “There is unprecedented demand for Michelin earthmover tyres throughout the world. It’s a tribute to the productivity of our employees and the pro-business environment in South Carolina that the company is expanding its earthmover capacity in the state where we first began manufacturing in the United States.” The new plant will be Michelin’s 19th manufacturing facility in North America and its ninth in South Carolina. More than 8,000 of Michelin North America’s 22,300 employees are based in South Carolina “Nearly every earthmover tyre is sold before it is produced,” said Selleck. “Michelin is one of very few companies in the world that is able to produce these high technology tyres.”
The new earthmover tyre plant will be adjacent to Michelin’s existing rubber processing plant in Starr, and will be the third Michelin plant in Anderson County. The company also operates a 2.5 million sqaure foot rubber processing plant, the largest in the world, in Sandy Springs. In addition to the Lexington plant, Michelin currently produces earthmover tyres around the world in Waterville, Canada; Campo Grande, Brazil; Le Puy and Montceau les-Mines, France; Vitoria, Spain and Zalau, Romania.
