Michelin opened its newest North American plant, which will produce the X Tweel airless radial tire for commercial applications. The new 135,000-sq.-ft. facility in Piedmont, S.C., is Michelin’s 10th manufacturing facility in South Carolina and the 16th in the U.S., according to a press release.
The Tweel is a non-pneumatic tire that joins the tire and wheel assembly in one unit, Michelin says. The new plant gives the company the ability to boost output of its SSL skid-steer tires and begin production of the new X Tweel Turf as original equipment for John Deere to equip its ZTrak 900 Series lineup of zero-turn commercial mowers.
“The Tweel concept was born at Michelin Americas Research Co. in Greenville, S.C., one of Michelin’s three global technology centers, and now the Tweel will be manufactured right here in the Greenville area to satisfy a growing commercial market,” says Pete Selleck, Michelin North America chairman and president, in a press release.