The Michelin Troyes Site Celebrates 60 Years

At the start of the 1960s, Kleber, whose main plant is located in Colombes in the Paris region, wished to expand and decided to open a site in Troyes due, in particular, to the proximity with its headquarters and its long-standing industrial prowess. In January 1963, France’s second Kleber site opened under the code name of UP2 and produced its first car and agricultural tires. The factory expanded quickly and just a few years later it employed more than 1,000 people. Faced with significant financial difficulties, Kleber was taken over by the Michelin Group in 1981. At the time, the Troyes plant employed more than 1,200 people. Becoming part of the Michelin Group gave it a new lease of life. In 1986, the site became the first Kleber plant to produce Michelin brand tires and in 1988, the rubber mixing department obtained a new machine. In 1996, the plant, which produced tires in 248 different sizes, actively participated in creating a range of agricultural products for the Group and developing Michelin’s new agrarian strategy.

The year 2000 represented a turning point in the history of the Troyes plant. Michelin announced a major restructuring plan to reduce the group’s industrial footprint in Europe and to specialize its plants. This plan validated the closure of the Troyes car tire production department, with the consequential loss of 450 out of 1,300 jobs.

In 2012, the Kleber factory became a Michelin brand factory in order to take advantage of all the Group’s industrial technology and to maintain its positioning on premium markets.

In November 2021, the Michelin Group announced a project for 2021-2026 to enable the factory to strengthen its positioning on the premium agricultural tire market. The project provided for a far-reaching modernization program for the tire production activity and the transfer of rubber mixing, which employed 114 people, to the Montceau-les-Mines site, without any forced departures. It was buoyed by a substantial investment plan of up to 80 million euros over 5 years, for modernizing the agricultural tire production department and enhancing quality of life at work.

Source: Michelin