From Tire Review
As promised, Michelin made an announcement yesterday afternoon in Waterville, Nova Scotia: the tiremaker will invest $73 million (CDN) in its truck tire plant in the city.
The investment will cover equipment improvements, including the installation of new technologies in all aspects of the manufacturing process, and increased production capacity over the next four to five years. The project also will include a 3,000-square-meter assembly building expansion. Michelin anticipates the investment project will create some 50 new jobs in the area.
“Today’s announcement shows once again that Michelin believes in both the province of Nova Scotia and our highly skilled employees,” said Dana
LeBlanc, president of Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. “The demand is growing in North America for our wide based tire products like the Michelin X One, and this manufacturing investment at Waterville will help us meet that demand.
“We appreciate our long-standing partnership with the provincial government and we are certainly proud of our over 40-year history of manufacturing in this province. This investment is even more special, as Waterville just celebrated 30 years of manufacturing last year,” LeBlanc added.
Present at the announcement was Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter, who said, “Companies like Michelin have demonstrated that Nova Scotians, and particularly the workers and industries in rural Nova Scotia, can be among the world’s best in quality and productivity. This investment will help Michelin create an anticipated 50 new, high-value jobs in rural Nova Scotia.”
The Waterville plant, which opened in 1982, manufactures radial truck, off-road and heavy-duty earthmover tires. During the plant’s last significant expansion period from 2005-07, Michelin invested $92 million to begin production of X One tires for the North American marketplace.
