Michelin breaks ground on Mexican car tire plant

León, Guanajuato – Michelin has held an official ground-breaking for its 69^th plant to be built at a new site in León, Guanajuato, in central Mexico.

The new plant “demonstrates our confidence in Mexico's manufacturing environment, the skilled and talented workforce here and the infrastructure necessary to deliver tires efficiently throughout North America," said CEO Jean-Dominique Senard at the ceremony on 22 Aug.

According to Senard, demand is increasing for passenger tires in Mexico to meet the performance requirements of the growing market in North America.

The €450-million plant, Michelin’s 21st site in North America, was announced in July.

The plant will be built in an area of 142,000 square meters on approximately 98 hectares in the Parque Industrial León-Bajio.

Construction of the plant is expected to begin this month, with completion currently scheduled for late 2018.

During the initial production phase, the plant is expected to manufacture 4 million to 5 million tires a year for Michelin, with production ramping up gradually.

The new site will be mostly producing tires for high-performance and ultra-high-performance cars, light trucks, SUVs and cross-over vehicles.

At least 1,000 people are expected to be employed.

"The new Michelin investment in Mexico represents a vote of confidence that strengthens the positioning of Mexico as an investment destination," said Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico's secretary of the economy.

"The arrival of Michelin is great news… and it is the most important investment for León so far," said Miguel Márquez Márquez, governor of the estate of Guanajuato, Mexico.