CHENNAI, India — Group Michelin has inaugurated production at a new line at its 4-year-old Chennai truck/bus-tire plant that it said will help double the factory's capacity.
The project reportedly will raise capacity to more than 30,000 metric tons per year and increase employment at the facility to about 1,000 from 850.
The plant produces the company's X Guard range of radial truck and bus tires, designed, engineered and made specifically for the Indian market.
"India is a priority market for us, and growing demand for our products in the country reaffirms our commitment to keep innovating for our customers here," Michelin CEO Jean-Dominique Senard said at the opening ceremony.
The Chennai plant, Mr. Senard added, has become one of Michelin's "most advanced manufacturing facilities globally. The purpose of this plant was to cater to the needs to the Indian market and… we are on target in this journey."
Michelin originally announced plans in 2009 to build the plant in a project valued at that time at $870 million. The plant went on stream in early 2014.
The Michelin X Guard is billed as being a "premium tire, offering fuel efficiency, safety and long service life at an affordable price."
The tires are produced using molds produced using 3D printing to integrate Michelin's Regenion technology, which comprises grooves that regenerate as the tire wears.
The tires are equipped with Michelin's InfiniCoil technology, essentially a spiral-wound layer of steel wire under the tread that the company said enhances robustness without extra weight.