From Rubber & Plastics News
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil-Soc. Michelin Ltda. will invest $98 million in the next two years to expand annual capacity at its truck tYre plant in Rio's Campo Grande district and its steel cord factory in Itatiaia.
The Brazilian unit of Groupe Michelin has budgeted $74 million to boost truck tyre output 40 percent at the 23-year-old Campo Grande facility to 1.6 million units a year. The remainder will be invested in steel cord capacity at Itatiaia, which also is the site of car tyre production using Michelin's C3M automated production system.
Together, the two projects will create about 500 jobs, Michelin said.
The expansions are intended to make Michelin do Brasil more self-sufficient, cutting down on the need to import and eventually to give the unit sufficient capacity to support exporting as well.
