Who We Are

Michelin North America, Inc.

Michelin North America operates in the United States, Canada and Mexico with headquarter operations and plants in each country. This demonstrates Michelin’s long-term strategy of being close to its customers.

U.S. Operations

Michelin North America is a $7.25 billion dollar a year company operating 18 plants in 16 locations and employs 22,270 people. It manufactures and sells tires for airplanes, automobiles, farm equipment, heavy duty trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and the space shuttle. Michelin manufactures tires in six states: Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina and South Carolina. In addition, there are three plants in Nova Scotia, Canada and one plant in Queretaro, Mexico. Two plants specialize in the manufacturing of semi-finished goods taking raw materials and turning them into components for the plants that produce tires and one plant strictly produces synthetic rubber. Finished goods are produced in sixteen plants, two sites produce retreads for the trucking and one site produces retreads for the aircraft industry. Michelin Maps and Guides also produce road atlases, road maps and travel guides for all the major cities in North America.

Product Range

Globally Michelin produces tires for virtually every category of the tire market. Michelin North America offers:

• Passenger and light truck tires
• Heavy duty truck tires
• Recreational vehicle tires
• Earthmover tires
• Agriculture tires
• Aircraft tires
• Bicycle tires

Our Economic Impact

With annual sales of $7.25 billion, Michelin North America Inc. has a substantial economic footprint in North America. The effect of Michelin’s presence is felt in numerous ways beyond sales.

Employment by country

Employment by State

Michelin Plants by Product Type

Research, Development and Testing

Producing the highest quality tires that deliver miles and miles of driving pleasure does not happen out of luck. It starts at the Michelin Americas Research and Development Corporation where innovation and technology collide with the real world needs of demanding consumers in a highly fragmented industry. Employing  960 people, many of which are engineers, Michelin’s R&D center in North America has been responsible for developing some of the finest products in the world to market, including the first 80,000 mile passenger tire for American-made vehicles. When a Michelin tire is on the road, it delivers a collection of benefits rather than just being good at one particular attribute. You get great handling, superior wet traction and long mileage without sacrificing comfort because the engineers at MARC are not content or satisfied with any sort of compromise or trade-offs. 

Laurens Proving Ground

A vital extension of the research and development community is the Michelin on-vehicle test facility located in Laurens, South Carolina. This 3,300 acre site maintains over twelve special tracks of varying lengths and surfaces for testing tires, suspension system, driver training and event management. Tires are tested for noise, adherence on wet surfaces, gravel endurance, off road inclines, mud traction, vehicle dynamics like high speed lane change and drift. Used primarily by Michelin, the facility also offers testing for groups outside Michelin. Customers can conduct controllability studies, vibration analysis and chassis loading tests in a secure environment. The facility is also used to train law enforcement officers from South Carolina and North Carolina to enhance their skills in handling emergency situations.

Training, Sales and Marketing

A large degree of Michelin’s success in North America can be attributed to its sales force and its marketing group. Michelin recognized the need for an extensive training program in North America and began its efforts in the early Sixties. Michelin has long been recognized in the industry for having the best and the most complete training for its sales force. The current training center in Greenville, SC not only conducts sales force training but also plays host to Michelin dealer sales personnel from all over the country for training to help them become more professional sales people and better business managers. In every category of tires, the Michelin marketing teams are staffed with professional marketers, communication teams and research experts striving everyday to bring increased value to the consumers who purchase our tires. 

Commitment to the Future

In an economy that has forced manufacturers in all types of categories to move plants outside North America, Michelin announced investments in North America totaling $346 million. The investments were made across product lines and in both the U.S. and Canada. Michelin capped the year with an announcement to build a new tread processing plant in Queretaro, Mexico adjacent to it Michelin Mexico headquarters and passenger tire plant.

Environmental Protection 

As a core value, protecting the environment is pervasive throughout all facets of Michelin operations. It is a value that says growing market share or delivering revenue will not be accomplished at the expense of the environment. Whether participating and leading studies on the effect tires have on the environment, Michelin is concerned about every aspect of the impact its operations has on the environment.