Michelin to Suspend Operations at Plant

Sept. 25, 2015

Michelin North America Inc. will suspend operations at its earthmover plant in Starr, S.C., at the end of this year.

The decision to place the plant in standby mode affects about 100 employees, all of whom will be offered positions at nearby Michelin facilities, according to Stephanie Tarbet, public relations manager.

She says the plant and its equipment will be maintained so that operations can restart in a timely manner when market conditions improve and customer demand increases.

“In the meantime, we can produce the number of tires needed for our customers with existing capacity from other earthmover facilities, including the plant nearby in Lexington,” Tarbet says.

Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America employs about 21,700 people and operates 20 production facilities in 17 locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The company has nine plants in the state of South Carolina. The Starr plant is adjacent to an earthmover plant which Michelin opened in Dec. 2013.

For recent news on Michelin plants, see "Michelin to invest $22 million in Alabama plant."