Michelin closes one factory in Poland, due to the high production costs. Tire production will be relocated to the French group’s factories in Romania, Italy and Spain.
The information about the closure of the truck tire factory in Olsztyn was started by a local web portal citing people within this production unit of the French Michelin group.
According to the website, production from the factory in Poland will be moved to the factories of the same manufacturer in Romania.
However, sources within Michelin later mentioned that production from the commercial vehicle tire plant in Olsztyn will be reallocated to production facilities in Romania, Italy and Spain.
In this context, part of the activity from the factory in Poland will end up in the portfolio of the Michelin factory in Zalău, which currently produces tires for commercial vehicles and machinery in Romania.
About 430 people currently work in the commercial vehicle tire plant in Olsztyn. The Olsztyn plant was taken over by the Michelin group in 1995, when the Polish state privatized the OZOS Stomil tire plant, founded in 1967.
After holding a majority stake in the plant for ten years, Michelin took over in 2005 total control of the plant and renamed the division Michelin Polska.
In November 2023, Michelin also decided to close three production units in Germany. At the time, the French company announced that it would stop work at its factories in Karlsruhe, Trier and Homburg until the end of 2025, affecting 1,532 employees.
“This decision is related to increasing competition in the affordable truck tire segment,” specified Michelin officials in November 2023. Another plant in Bamberg, Germany was also closed in 2019.
The Michelin Group has over 4,500 employees in Romania, three factories – two in Zalău and one in Florești, a commercial network and a shared services center.
Starting from 2018, Bucharest became the coordination center of the Central Europe and Central Asia region (30 countries).