Michelin to halt OTR tire production at US plant

Starr, South Carolina — Michelin North America Inc. will suspend operations at its Starr giant earthmover tire plant by year-end because of slowing global demand, the company disclosed this week.

The decision to suspend production at the 2-year-old plant will affect 100 employees, who will be offered jobs at other Michelin factories in the area, the company said.

Michelin said it would maintain the plant and its equipment “on standby” with plans to restart it once market conditions and customer demand improve.

Michelin invested $750 million (€665.7 million) over several years to build the Starr plant and expand capacity at the nearby Lexington, South Carolina, OTR tire plant, where the company said it has sufficient capacity to meet current demand.

These plants are two of Michelin’s three factories worldwide with capacity for 63-inch OTR radials.