Michelin announced on Tuesday the closure before 2026 of its factories in Cholet and Vannes, in western France, because of “the collapse” of sales of tires for trucks and vans. The group's management announced this closure on Tuesday morning to the 1,254 employees of the sites concerned.
“It is the collapse of activity which has caused this situation, and I want to tell all these employees that we will not leave anyone behind.”declared Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux in an interview with AFP. The closure became “inevitable“due to Asian competition on van and heavy goods vehicle tires, the sectors of the two factories, but also of the “deterioration of Europe’s competitiveness”indicated the management of the French group in a press release.
In a context of crisis for automotive equipment suppliers, the group is committed to “support each of the employees concerned with tailor-made solutions“, with job offers in other companies or in the group, or early retirement. The group's union, worried about the future of these sites, had broken off discussions with management.
Cholet and Vannes
The large factory in Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) employs 955 employees who mainly manufacture small tires for light trucks (17 inches and less). This market segment “experienced a significant decline“in Europe in recent years,”with a drastic reduction in production volumes (…) with no prospect of recovery”justifies Michelin.
The Vannes (Morbihan) site has 299 employees who mainly produce metal cables for tires then manufactured in Spain and Italy in particular. The Breton factory has experienced a continuous decline in its production volumes “due in particular to the change in the level of demand from the group's heavy-duty factories in Europe (…) with no prospect of recovery“, underlines Michelin.
“Creation of at least as many jobs as those eliminated”
The Tours site (Indre-et-Loire), whose fate also worries the unions, was spared. The group “will also support the two impacted territories by participating in the creation of at least as many jobs as those eliminated“, he promised. In the immediate future, Michelin will stop production on both sites until November 13 to “allow management and union organizations to offer collective and individual exchanges to employees.
The group is going through a difficult year with the slowdown in the new vehicle market. Michelin had already closed its La-Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée) site in 2020, and is preparing the closure of two factories in Germany by 2025.
France
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