Tag: Michelin
US2$ million funding keeps material research rolling at LeHigh University
Recent funding grants given to LeHigh University mean the college’s friction and adhesion research department will continue to develop innovative solutions that could fuel tyre development. According to the University, Anand Jagota, professor and founding chair of Lehigh University’s bioengineering department, has arrived at a milestone in his 15 years of researching friction and adhesion.
France: Michelin, unions agree on support programme for redundant employees
Michelin’s plan to close its truck tyre factory in La Roche-sur-Yon, France took a step forward last Thursday when it signed an employee support agreement with four trade unions. This agreement with the CFDT, CFE‑CGC, SUD and FO unions followed 12 weeks of negotiations that took place between October and January.
Michelin, HDI partner for fleet risk reduction
Michelin and commercial insurance provider HDI Global SE have entered into a partnership to reduce road risk for vehicle fleets. Fleet vehicles will be equipped with a connected box to collect driving data, which is processed and fed back to the driver via the Ideal Driver Pro application and to the fleet manager via an indicator report. Through this method each vehicle will produce a “driving score,” designed to increase understanding of the impact of driving behaviour on claims rates, and to identify risky driving behaviours and provide professionals with the necessary means to raise awareness and train drivers with a coaching module.
North America launch for BFGoodrich agricultural tyres
Michelin has introduced a further brand to its agricultural segment portfolio in North America. In addition to selling Michelin and Kleber tyres as well as Camso tracks and systems, the company has now introduced farm tyres under the BFGoodrich brand name.
Michelin installs Ansible Motion compact driving simulator to assist tyre R&D
Michelin is installing a new Ansible Motion Driver-in-the-Loop (DIL) simulator at its North America Research & Development centre in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. The Theta C simulator offers virtual test driving and evaluation of tyre-road-vehicle interactions in advance and in parallel with physical testing, with detailed simulation environments. Michelin is the first company to take delivery of the Theta C simulator since the product was formally launched.
April launch for Michelin Agilis 3
A new member of the Michelin Agilis family for light commercial vehicles will be available from April 2020. The Agilis 3 summer tyre is Michelin’s successor to the Agilis + and offers lower rolling resistance and CO2 emissions as well as whole-lifetime performance.
Michelin unveils latest MotoGP tyre
Following months of testing, Michelin has introduced a new construction rear tyre for the upcoming MotoGP season. This latest evolution of the Michelin Power Slick rear tyre features a construction aimed at improving lap times through an increase in performance and stability. Following in-house testing, MotoGP riders were given their first taste of the tyre at the Catalunya test at Barcelona in June.
Michelin implements partial share buyback management agreement
An investment services provider has been called upon to implement the share buyback programme authorised by Michelin at its Annual Shareholders Meeting on 17 May 2019. An agreement to this effect was signed on 7 January 2020.
RM Simpson opts for Michelin XeoBib tyres
Agricultural contractor RM Simpson is to fit Michelin XeoBib tyres across all its tractors. The Bradford farming company specified VF 710/60 R38 and VF 600/60 R28 Michelin XeoBib tyres as original equipment on its John Deere 6930 in 2009. The first set completed 9,500 hours before needing to be replaced, with the second set to last longer.
Pirelli: WRC tyre supply confirms “leadership in world motorsport”
The era of Michelin tyres dominating the World Rally Championship (WRC) is drawing to a close. The FIA has chosen Pirelli as sole tyre supplier for the WRC from 2021 to 2024. With its selection, Pirelli sees itself at “the top of motorsport” thanks to its exclusive tyre supply to both the leading rally and single seater racing championships. “These successful campaigns confirm Pirelli’s leadership in world motorsport,” comments the tyre maker.
Michelin files suit against Chinese-made BFGoodrich “imposter”
Michelin’s North American operation has filed a suit against a company importing “counterfeit” tyres from China. The tyres in question are said to violate patents for the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2.
LMP2 – no tyre tender to keep two suppliers in championship
As reported yesterday, from 2020/21 Goodyear will act as sole tyre supplier to the LMP2 category of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and European Le Mans Series (ELMS). We expected Michelin to be disappointed by this move away from open tyre supply, however, what came as news is that the tyre maker wasn’t even considered for the role of next season’s LMP2 supplier.
Michelin policy ‘boosts tyre performance’ – DJ Coaches
DJ Coaches is to adopt a 100 per cent Michelin policy after in-house tyre data showed that its Michelin tyres typically last up to 140,000km longer than a premium competitor brand fitted as original equipment to newer vehicles in the fleet.
Michelin names new motorsports director for North America
As of 1 January 2020, Tony Ménard will take over as Michelin North America’s director of motorsports. He succeeds Chris Baker, who has held the role for the past eight years. Baker is scheduled to retire in March 2020, concluding a career with Michelin than began in 1982.
Counterfeiting: Flattery or just illegal imitation?
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, according to Oscar Wilde. But businesses don’t tend to be so charitable in their interpretation of such actions. Indeed, industrial counterfeiting, copyright breaches and general contempt for intellectual property are all-too common. The most recent example of copyright dispute in the tyre industry saw one of the world’s largest and longest established tyremakers pitted against a relative unknown.
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