77
M
ichelin has been active in the
Russianmarket for more than
110 years, but it was not until
2004 that they opened open a tyre
production plant in Davydovo, in the
Moscow region. Can you tell us about
the plant’s production capacity today
and its main developments?
Michelin’s history in Russia is really
impressive and fascinating. The
popularity of MICHELIN tyres in
Russia started in 1907 after the victory
in the Moscow-Saint Petersburg
race during the first international
automobile show at the Mikhailovsky
Manège. Races are the driving force
of automotive progress and they
enabled the Group to be recognized.
During its long presence in the country,
MICHELIN has had many successes
and the opening of its plant in Russia
is one of them.
In 2004, Michelin was the first foreign
tyre manufacturer to start production
in Russia. The following year, we opened
our rubber compound workshop (Z)
and then a workshop for retreading
truck tyres and the ultramodern MIR
logistics complex.
These openings were all strategically
important in the development of
Michelin in the region. Today, the
company is continuing to improve its
production capacities and the infras-
tructure of the plant. The Davydovo
plant produces tyres with diameters
from thirteen inches to seventeen
inches to meet the requirements of
the entire Eastern Europe region,
which consists of eleven countries
that are all growing rapidly.
The Russian market still seems to be
dominated by localmanufacturers. How
didMichelinmanage to become a player
there? What are the factors that
distinguish it from its competitors?
Michelin aims at sustainably impro-
ving the mobility of its customers, and
this is not merely words. Innovations
have always been at the heart of our
strategy, because they are the
main driver of our development.
Concerning our products, I will only
mention two examples: tests carried
out by independent organizations
show that MICHELIN Primacy 4, our
new winter tyre, goes 18,000 kilometres
further than the tyres of our main
competitors in this segment.
We have also presented X-Ice North,
our fourth generation winter tyre,
which has a record number of studs.
It meets all the highest requirements
for winter tyres: total control on the
road and driving pleasure in this diffi-
cult season. This is our philosophy: to
create a high technology product that
is ‘Totally safe, whether new or worn’.
This means that MICHELIN tyres
offer the best possible performances
from the first kilometre to the last
kilometre and that they guarantee
the highest level of safety. But today,
it is not only innovations that resulted
from high technology products that
differentiate MICHELIN in the mar-
ket: our strong customer focus is the
Group’s lifeblood. This means that we
offer our customers relevant and
customized services and solutions.
What is the role of the Russian
subsidiary in the Michelin Group’s
development strategy?
Russia is one of the rare countries
where Michelin started operating
very shortly after it was founded.
Local experience has been a real
contribution to the development and
transformation of the brand into the
Michelin has been active in the Russianmarket for more than a century and believes
in the innovation potential of the country. Its commitment is based on product
development and also the search for and implementation of service solutions for
the company’s customers.
Kamran VOSSOUGHI,
CEO of Michelin in Russia
©DR
‘The Russian market has
great potential’
Russia - France
©DR
