Michelin to open Tweel plant in S.C.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (Nov. 13, 2014) — Michelin North America Inc. is opening a plant in Piedmont, S.C., dedicated to the production of its “Tweel” non-pneumatic tire/wheel assembly.

The tire maker did not disclose investment, size, employment or production capacity details at this time. The company will hold a ribbon-cutting Nov. 20 for the plant, the firm's 10th in South Carolina and 16th in the U.S.

Piedmont is an unincorporated “census-designated place” south of Greenville in Anderson County with a population of about 5,000 inhabitants.

Greenville-based Michelin only recently disclosed its first OE fitments for the Tweel — with Deere & Co. for the John Deere ZTRAK zero-turn commercial lawn mowers, along with an expanded size range for skid steers.

The Tweel — which uses a network of elastomeric polyurethane spokes fused to a wheel hub and a circular outer flat rim to replace the casing, beads and sidewall structures as the load-bearing element — debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

A more traditional rubber tread is bonded to the flat rim for road grip.

After initially touting the Tweel as a possible replacement for pneumatic tires in many applications, Michelin has scaled back the product's commercial application range to skid-steers and other industrial applications as an alternative to pneumatics, solids or filled pneumatics.

The Tweel made its commercial debut in late 2012 after seven years in development.

Michelin distributes the Tweel through a network of designated dealers, including: A&E Tire Inc., Bauer Built Inc., Colony Tire, East Bay Tire Co., Jack's Tire & Oil, Linnorab Inc., Pete's Tire Barns Inc., Raben Tire Co. Inc., Service Tire Truck Center Inc., Snider Tire, Strouhal Tire Recapping Inc., Tulare Firestone, and Valley Tire, along with Michelin's own TCi Tire Centers L.L.C. network.

In Canada, the Tweel is distributed by Kal Tire, Kirk's Tire, Tirecraft and Midway Tire.

Michelin North America Chairman Pete Selleck and Michelin Tweel Technologies Vice President Ralph Dimenna are scheduled to be on hand for the ribbon-cutting opening the new plant in Piedmont, along with Greenville County Officials.

An Internet search of the property address where the plant is located shows it previously was occupied by Divatex Home Furnishings, a New York-based designer and manufacturer of products such as comforters, bedding, towels and curtains. The structure sits on a plot of 12.9 acres.