BAD KREUZNACH, Germany (Jan. 3, 2006) — Michelin Reifenwerke K.G. has added capacity for steel-cord preparation and modernized and expanded the textile-cord preparation line at its Bad Kreuznach passenger and light truck tire plant, investing more than $7 million in new equipment to will allow a capacity increase of up to 30 percent.
The improvement involves the installation of a calender capable of three separate operations—two for textile cord and one for steel cord up to 4½ feet wide, Michelin said. The installation helps improve the plant's productivity up to 30 percent, the firm said.
The project took about 17 months to complete, with as many as 10 outside suppliers involved alongside Michelin technicians from France and Germany.
The Bad Kreuznach plant supplies several other factories besides itself with calendered textiles, Michelin said, including plants in Spain, France, Italy, Great Britain, Poland and Russia along with the nearby plant in Bamberg, Germany.
The 40-year-old Bad Kreuznach plant turns out 5.8 million car and 1.3 million light truck tires annually, along with more than 108,000 metric tons of compounded rubber and 24 million square meters of calendered textiles.