These two sites will stop producing by 2026 at the latest. The automotive supplier justifies this restructuring by soaring energy costs.
Michelin unions feared a dark scenario for the Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) and Vannes (Morbihan) sites. It has just been confirmed to them by the management of the French group. Production in these two factories, which employ a total of 1,254 people, will stop permanently “no later than the beginning of 2026”, announces the Michelin group, which has 132,000 employees worldwide, including 19,000 in France. The 300 employees of Vannes manufacture metal rods intended to reinforce heavy goods vehicle tires. Their 963 colleagues in Cholet produce commercial vehicle tires.
“It’s obviously a shock for the employees, recognizes Florent Ménégaux, the general director of the Michelin group. Activity on these two sites will not resume until next Monday to give everyone time to process this announcement. But it is important that activity resumes and that everyone maintains self-confidence. Michelin employees are highly qualified and recognized for their skills. Everyone will be supported individually until they find a job,” promises the boss of the company renowned for its social commitment. Early retirement and internal and external mobility schemes will be offered as every time a site closes.
Priority to social support
The last closure of a Michelin factory in France dates back to 2019. The La Roche-sur-Yon site (Vendée), which produced high-end tires for heavy goods vehicles, then employed 600 people. This closure also had repercussions on the workforce at the Cholet factory which manufactured rubber mixtures for La Roche-sur-Yon. But today, Michelin cites La Roche-sur-Yon as an example: 614 employees out of 618 found work in the year following the closure. “We even decided to offer employees who were not satisfied at the end of their trial period with a new employer the opportunity to return to Michelin and resume the support process”says the group's boss.
Michelin management assures us: “all alternative scenarios have been analyzed and studied to avoid closure”. But the tire market for passenger vehicles and vans, as well as heavy goods vehicles, is now under attack from cheaper Asian groups. Michelin points to the deterioration of competitiveness in Europe due to wage inflation and the rise in energy prices. “The cost of energy is twice as high in Europe as in the United States or Asia recalls Florent Ménégaux. Today, our manufacturing costs in Europe are twice as high as they were in 2019”. The group is committed to helping create on both sites “at least the same number of jobs” like in La Roche-sur-Yon where an activity park dedicated to mobility has been set up.
How will Michelin succeed in these conditions in maintaining the 19,000 jobs in France, including 9,000 in 15 factories? “We can never guarantee employment, recalls Florent Ménégaux. In a globalized market like ours, this would be irresponsible”. Michelin nevertheless emphasizes that of its 132,000 employees – including 90,000 in industrial jobs – France will remain the group's leading industrial country in Europe, both in terms of number of sites and number of employees.
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