Michelin North America has begun a major upgrade of its manufacturing facilities in South Carolina, including plants in Anderson, Greenville, Lexington and Spartanburg counties. The company plans to invest $350 million to improve and expand the facilities during the next four years. Michelin also announced that it will add approximately 100 new manufacturing jobs to the company's 7,850 current employees in South Carolina.
"With increasing competition from Asian imports and high raw material costs, Michelin will remain competitive in North America by continuing to manufacture tires in more efficient operations with skilled professional employees," says Jim Micali, chairman and president of Michelin North America, Inc.
Michelin's investment will be divided among its facilities in four S.C. counties:
- Anderson County: increased production of semi- finished materials to support tire manufacturing facilities in North America, and modernization of current equipment at Michelin's Sandy Springs and Starr plants.
- Greenville County: improvements to the company's tire building facilities in the county.
- Lexington County: modernization of equipment and increased earthmover tire production at Michelin's Lexington plants.
- Spartanburg County: increased production of X One® wide single and military tire production.
Expansion at some of the affected facilities will meet the growing market demand for Michelin tires across several product lines. All of these investments will be accomplished between now and the end of 2011. The newly created manufacturing jobs, representing net increase after normal attrition and retirement, will be phased in as the expansions progress and new capacities come on-line.
The full Michelin investment and job growth is based on finalizing appropriate agreements with state and county governments.
"Over the last 30 years, Michelin has invested more than $2 billion in South Carolina with excellent results," Micali says. "This is our home and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the state over these past three decades. As always, we are grateful to the state legislature for passing the necessary legislation and to county officials for facilitating Michelin's ability to again expand our business and our investment in the state."
Michelin established its first modern plant in the United States in Greenville in 1975. Over the past 30-plus years, that presence has grown substantially to include:
- The company's North American headquarters, in Greenville.
- The company's North American research and development headquarters, in Greenville.
- A 3,500-plus acre test track in Laurens.
- Headquarters for Michelin Retread Technologies (MRT) and TCI Tire Centers, LLC, both in Duncan.
- The world's largest semi-finished rubber processing plant, in Sandy Springs.
- Tire building facilities in Greenville, Lexington and Spartanburg.
In addition to employing almost 8,000 South Carolinians spread across 37 of the state's 46 counties, Michelin currently has 2,650 retirees in the state. More than one-third of the company's 22,000 employees are based in South Carolina. Michelin and its employees contribute more than $2.4 million and thousands of volunteer hours each year for community programs across the state. In 2006, the company paid more than $30 million in state taxes and purchased more than $300 million in goods and services from 500 South Carolina businesses.
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, motorcycles and the space shuttle. For more information about the company and its products, visit Michelin's Web Site.
|
