Edouard Michelin said, For Michelin, sustainable development means effectively fullling all

our responsibilities. The global leader in tyre manufacturing, Michelin, celebrates 125 years of
technological evolution and serving the society by improving the quality of life. Michelin realises
that the future will need a growth model that protects the earth as well as engineer sustainable
outcomes for the society and economy. With its technological innovations, Michelin has
aggressively promoted the shift to radial technology and emphasised the importance of the
impact of tyres on fuel efficiency with its green tyresespecially in emerging markets like
India where it expects 50 percent radialisation by 2020. It is setting up one of its largest plants
worldwide in Chennai, which will soon roll out new bus and truck radials. The European player
is significantly strengthening its foothold in India through a portfolio tailored to Indian
conditions and an excellent service network along with commendable corporate social
responsibility programmes.

Established in 1889 by Andr and Edouard Michelin, Michelin has come a long way 125
years to be exactwith its amazing technological innovations. From bicycle tyres to car
tyres, Michelin has a suitable range for every automobile. The French group, based in
Clermont-Ferrand, is committed to sustainable growth and promotes the use of clean, fuelefficient technology.
The Chief Executive Officer of Michelin, Jean-Dominique Snard, who joined the group in
2012, believes that India will be a key growth driver in the coming years. He said, The
markets have changed, and today, the big growth zones are China, South-East Asia, Brazil
and India. A late entrant, Michelin has been trying to popularise the brand and aggressively
promote radial tyres in the Indian market.
Michelin is mainly an after-market player as far as India is concerned. In 2005, the Apollo
Tyre company sold its 49 percent stake in its joint venture with Michelin for $10 million as
the pace of radialisation then was not what the companies had anticipated for the truck and
bus segment. Michelins joint venture with MRF in 1995 did not truly materialise either.
Michelin became Hondas OE supplier in 2008 by equipping the cars with the green Energy
XM1 tyres. Michelins first TYREPLUS centre opened in Vijayawada in 2009. These
innovative global distribution outlets focus on enhancing the buyers retail experience. The
same year saw Michelin set up a first of its kind truck service centre in Namakkal. This
Michelin Truck Service Centre offers a wide spectrum of truck-related servicesfrom tyre
alignment services to ways to cut maintenance costs. Currently, Michelin has 23 TYREPLUS
outlets and 13 MTSCs in India. Late last year, Michelin was awarded the ISO 9001:2008
certification. "We are committed to India for the long run, the ISO 9001:2008 certification is
a step towards assuring our customers of standardised and quality services across all
TYREPLUS & MTSC stores in the country", said the MD of Michelin India Tyres, Thom
Clark.
In the 2009, a year that seems to have been a rather eventful one for Michelin India, the
French company signed an MoU with the state of Tamil Nadu to set up a 290-acre facility to
manufacture its high-end tyres. With an investment of INR4000 crore (~USD671 million),
the company will be a major source of employmentmore than 1500 jobs. It will perhaps be
its largest production hub. The plant will be operational this year, churning out radial tyres for
the Indian vehicle market.
Michelin introduced its high performance Pilot Series radials to the Indian two-wheeler
market this year. In April 2014, as part of its search for innovative mobility solutions,

Michelin has partnered with a large network of Indian investors, the Indian Angel Network.
The initiative is called the Farm to Market Logistics (F2ML) and aims to increase the
efficiency of the food supply chain. Along with bringing 125 years of technical expertise to
the local tyre market, Michelins Indian arm is striving to improve the life of locals through
various community initiatives to better education, health and safety.