Michelin facts for kids
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Headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Trade name
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Michelin |
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| Public | |
| Traded as | Euronext Paris: ML CAC 40 component |
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 28 May 1889 |
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| Headquarters |
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France
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Revenue |  €28.59 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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€3.4 billion (2022) |
| €2 billion (2022) |
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| Total assets |  €15.341 billion (2022) |
| Total equity | €7.808 billion (2022) |
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Number of employees
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132,000 (2022) |
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Michelin is a famous French company that makes tyres. It is one of the biggest tyre makers in the world. The company is based in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Besides making tyres, Michelin is also known for its travel guides, called the Michelin Guide. These guides give special "Michelin stars" to restaurants for their amazing food.
Michelin's friendly company mascot is Bibendum, also known as the Michelin Man. He looks like he's made of tyres! Michelin has invented many important things, like the removable tyre and the radial tyre. They make tyres for many different vehicles, including Space Shuttles, aircraft, cars, motorcycles, and bicycles. In 2012, Michelin made 166 million tyres in 69 factories across 18 countries.
Contents
History of Michelin
How Michelin Started
The Michelin company began in 1889. Two brothers, Édouard and André Michelin, ran a business in France. One day, a cyclist needed help fixing his tyre. The tyre was glued to the wheel, and it took a long time to fix. Even after fixing it, the tyre broke again quickly.
Despite this, Édouard was excited about the idea of air-filled tyres. He and his brother decided to create their own version that would be easier to remove from the wheel. Michelin officially started on May 28, 1889. In 1891, they got their first patent for a removable pneumatic tyre. This new tyre was used by Charles Terront to win the world's first long-distance bicycle race, the 1891 Paris–Brest–Paris.
Important Tyre Inventions
In the 1920s and 1930s, Michelin had large rubber farms in Vietnam. Conditions for workers on these farms led to some challenges.
In 1934, Michelin created a special tyre that could still run even if it got a hole. This design is now known as a run-flat tyre. It has a special foam lining inside.
A very important invention for Michelin was the radial tyre in 1946. This tyre was much better for handling and saved fuel. It quickly became popular in Europe and Asia. Michelin had bought the car company Citroën in the 1930s, and the radial tyre was first designed for Citroën cars.
Michelin in North America
In 1966, Michelin worked with Sears to make radial tyres for cars in North America. By 1970, they were selling a million of these tyres each year. In 1968, Michelin opened its first sales office in North America. The company quickly grew its market there. By 1989, Michelin tyres were used on 10% of new cars made by American car companies.
In 1989, Michelin bought the tyre companies B.F. Goodrich and Uniroyal. This purchase included a factory that made tyres for the U.S. Space Shuttle Program.
Modern Tyre Innovations
In 1992, Michelin showed off its "green tyre" at the Paris Motor Show. This tyre used "Green X technology" to save fuel, reduce rolling resistance, and lower emissions. It was released in 1994 and is now part of the "Energy Saver" line of tyres.
As of September 1, 2008, Michelin became the world's largest tyre maker again. Michelin makes tyres in many countries around the world, including France, the US, Japan, and India. In 2019, Michelin announced that some of its plants in Germany and France would close.
In recent years, Michelin has bought other companies. In 2018, they bought Camso, which makes tyres and tracks for off-road vehicles. In 2019, Michelin bought most of the Indonesian tyre maker Multistrada Arah Sarana.
Michelin in Motorsports
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Michelin tyres are used in many exciting racing events around the world.
MotoGP Racing
Michelin was involved in MotoGP (motorcycle racing) from 1972 to 2008. They brought new ideas like radial tyres in 1984 and multi-compound tyres in 1994. Michelin-equipped riders won 360 races over 36 years. From 1993 to 2006, every world champion rode on Michelin tyres.
In 2007, a rider using Bridgestone tyres won the championship. Some top riders felt Michelin tyres were not as good. This led to discussions about having only one tyre brand for all teams. Michelin left MotoGP at the end of 2008. However, Michelin returned to MotoGP in 2016 as the official tyre supplier.
Formula One Racing
Michelin first raced in Formula One in 1977. They brought radial tyre technology to F1. Michelin-equipped cars won the Formula One Drivers' Championship with teams like Brabham and McLaren. They then left F1 at the end of 1984.
The company came back to Formula One in 2001. They supplied tyres to several teams. By 2005, Michelin tyres were very strong in the races. This was partly because new rules meant tyres had to last the whole race.
There was a big problem at the 2005 United States Grand Prix. Michelin would not let its teams race because of safety worries with their tyres. Michelin later offered to pay back all fans who bought tickets for that race. They also gave 20,000 free tickets for the 2006 race.
Michelin had disagreements with the sport's governing body, the FIA. Michelin did not like the idea of having only one tyre brand in F1. In December 2005, Michelin announced it would leave Formula One after the 2006 season. Bridgestone then became the only tyre supplier.
The last F1 race won on Michelin tyres was the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. Michelin helped teams win the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006.
Endurance Racing
Michelin is also a big part of endurance races, like the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They supplied tyres for the winner of the very first Le Mans race in 1923. In 2009, Michelin supplied tyres for 41 of the 55 cars at Le Mans. They continue to supply tyres for many top teams in endurance races today. Since 2019, Michelin has been the official tyre for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Rallying
In the World Rally Championship, Michelin has supplied tyres to many factory teams, including Audi, Citroën, and Ford. Michelin's brand BFGoodrich also represented the company in 2006 and 2007. Michelin returned as an official supplier from 2011 to 2020.
New Technologies and Products
Michelin is always working on new ideas for tyres and other products.
Tyre Technologies
- Pax System: A special system that allows a tyre to run even when flat.
- Tweel: A tyre that doesn't use air, combining the tyre and wheel into one piece.
- BAZ Technology: Uses spiral-wrapped nylon strips inside the tyre to stop it from changing shape at high speeds.
- EverGrip Technology: A special tyre tread design that changes as it wears down, helping with grip on wet and snowy roads.
- Zero Pressure Technology: Tyres with strong sidewalls that can support the car's weight even without air pressure. This lets you drive slowly for a short distance after a puncture.
Active Wheel
The Active Wheel from Michelin was a project that included electric motors inside the wheel itself. This design could free up space in a car and remove the need for parts like transmissions. The project stopped in 2014.
Other Michelin Products
Michelin makes more than just tyres!
- Tyre Stores: Michelin runs tyre retail stores in Europe under brands like Euromaster. They also have an online store.
- Tour Guides: Michelin publishes the famous Red Guides for hotels and restaurants, and Green Guides for tourism. They also have digital maps and guides.
- Maps: Michelin publishes many road maps, mostly for Europe, but also for other parts of the world. These maps were even used during World War II.
- Online Mapping: ViaMichelin is a Michelin company that provides digital mapping services online and for mobile phones. It started in 2001.
- Movin'On: This is a big event that Michelin organizes to talk about ideas for sustainable (environmentally friendly) transportation.
Michelin Leadership
From 1999, the company was led by CEO Édouard Michelin. Sadly, he passed away in 2006. Michel Rollier then became the head of the company. In 2012, Jean-Dominique Senard took over. Since 2019, Florent Menegaux has been the Managing Chairman of Michelin.
Michelin also has its North American headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, United States.
Images for kids
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View of an old Michelin omnibus and two Michelin Men with people behind Charles Rolls statue, Monmouth, Wales, around 1965–1970.
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A Michelin Lithion 2, a road bicycle tyre.
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Michelin's rubber farms in French Indochina led to challenges for workers in 1930.
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The Michelin PLR, a 1972 mobile tyre testing machine, based on the Citroën DS car.
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See also
In Spanish: Michelin para niños
