After the closure of the Michelin factory in La Roche-sur-Yon in 2019, it is the turn of the sites in Vannes (Morbihan) and Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), specialized in particular in the production of heavy goods vehicle tires. or vans, to experience the painful announcement. Activity was declining, employees anticipated it, but the closure was confirmed this Tuesday, November 5.
The management of the French tire manufacturer, Michelin, announced this to the 955 employees of Cholet and the 299 of Vannes. Florent Menegaux, the president of the Michelin group, explains this to West France.
Follow our livestream dedicated to job cuts at Michelin in the Vannes and Cholet factories
What did you announce this Tuesday to Michelin employees in Vannes and Cholet?
Florent Menegaux: We announced the closure of two factories, those in Vannes and Cholet. This is an extremely difficult decision that we made as a last resort. I have a thought for each of the employees concerned. They are, of course, not in question. It was the activity that collapsed. Furthermore, they were faced with a situation of under-workload which continued to deteriorate, year after year. We do not see how to recover these sites in the long term.
Read also: Michelin will close its factories in Cholet and Vannes, 1,254 jobs lost
Why this decision?
Markets are transforming. Europe's competitiveness has deteriorated significantly since 2019. The cost of energy is twice as high today as it was a few years ago. Gas costs five times more in France than in the United States or China. The cost of payroll has also soared, companies' compulsory contributions are still among the highest in the world, and car manufacturers are in great difficulty… This situation is unfortunately the result of several years of continuous deterioration. When the company can no longer adapt, it must restructure.
How did you make this decision to close?
We took a lot of time. We exhausted all avenues, we looked to see if we could upgrade the production tools and if we could increase the load…
