MICHELIN X® Guard™ Range to be fitted ON ASHOK LEYLAND Captain 3718 PLUS Long and Medium Distance Commercial Vehicles
MICHELIN To double capacity at Chennai plant to meet increasing demand from replacement market and original equipment makers in India
MICHELIN, the world’s tyre technology leader, today announced that it has signed a commercial agreement with Ashok Leyland to supply MICHELIN X® Guard™ range of radial truck tyres for its Captain 3718 PLUS long and medium distance commercial vehicles. The industry defining performance of this tyre range is expected to enable Ashok Leyland to pass benefits of fuel efficiency and optimized payload to their customers.
To cater for this increased demand from both the replacement market and original equipment manufacturers in the country, MICHELIN today inaugurated a new state of the art production line for the MICHELIN X® Guard™ range of tyres in its Chennai plant. The new production line will help double the current capacity of the plant by 2018. The MICHELIN X® Guard™ range of radial truck and bus tyres, offering up to 10% fuel savings*, is exclusively designed, engineered and made for India.
During the inauguration ceremony of the new production line, Mr. Jean-Dominique Senard, Chief Executive Officer of MICHELIN Group said: “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. In a very short time, our Chennai plant has evolved to become one of our most advanced manufacturing facilities globally. The purpose of this plant was to cater to the needs to the Indian market and I am happy to see that we are on target in this journey. The MICHELIN X® Guard™ was conceived to address the Indian market’s need for a tyre that is fuel efficient, safe and lasts longer and to this end we adapted the very best of MICHELIN technologies to produce a premium tyre at an affordable price.”
At the inauguration of the new production line, H.E. Mr Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, said: “I am delighted to be here with Mr Senard of the MICHELIN Group at a time when the company is expanding its presence in the Indian market. This is another successful example of how our French companies actively contribute to “Make in India” and innovate in India.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vinod K. Dasari, CEO and Managing Director, Ashok Leyland said: “We are pleased to partner MICHELIN for our latest range of 37T trucks. The MICHELIN X® Guard™ radial tyres provide us tremendous fuel efficiency, helping us offer a differentiated product in this segment. It is heartening to see the new tyre developed using Michelin’s world class innovations right here in India.”
Technologies of MICHELIN X® GUARD™ range
The MICHELIN X® GUARD™ range takes advantage of the latest developments in 3D printing, which is used to produce the tyre moulds: As a result, Regenion™ technology is integrated which regenerates new grooves as the tyre wears, ensuring it retains excellent grip right until the very last mile. The performance of this tyre also benefits from another technology: InfiniCoil™, a several hundred-meter-long thin wire wrapped round the tyre structure giving it added robustness without extra weight, while delivering up to 10%* fuel savings.
*Fuel tests conducted under MICHELIN and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) recommended methodology and conditions against leading brands of similar size and pattern. Fuel savings based on an assumption of 7,000 km of travel per month in a 10 X 2 vehicle with Diesel prices at INR 55 per litre.
About MICHELIN
MICHELIN, the leading tyre company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tyres, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, MICHELIN is present in 170 countries, has 111,700 employees and operates 68 production facilities in 17 countries which together produced 187 million tyres in 2016.
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MICHELIN India