Michelin’s Research and Development Programs: Unrivaled Resources
January 12th, 2009Michelin has more than 6,000 people around the world involved in research, development and process engineering. Michelin Technology Center teams are active on four continents- Europe (France and Spain), North America (United States), South America (Brazil) and Asia (Japan, Thailand and China). Michelin allocates more than 600 million euros a year to its research programs, an amount that is unmatched by any other tire manufacturer.
Michelin’s faster pace of innovation
Any meaningful innovation requires a certain amount of time before it can be deployed. Despite that constraint, Michelin is committed to maintaining its technological leadership. Michelin is fully focused not only on designing high-performance tires but also on developing them at a faster pace. The challenge to which the company’s research teams are responding is to reduce time-to-market for new tires and services by half between now and 2010.
A broad range of expertise, from design to process engineering
Manufacturing superior tires calls for a continuous chain of expertise and innovation extending from the laboratory to the test track and into the production plant. A full range of skills are involved, in such areas as materials, design, manufacturing processes, modeling and simulation.
Design
During the design phase, teams focus on the tire’s internal architecture and tread pattern. Designing and aligning these two features are the first steps in producing an outstanding tire. The designer must then prepare an assembly comprised of the many components used in tire production. These include steel textile cords, various natural or synthetic rubber-based compounds and tire bead wires.
Choice of materials
More than 200 different materials are used to make a tire, among them natural and synthetic rubber, reinforcing agents, and chemical additives (like carbon black and silicon), as well as the metal wires and textile cords that give the tire its shape and rigidity. When developing tire components, researchers choose from among these materials, and sometimes create new ones. Advanced studies of raw materials and components are conducted by Michelin experts, working alongside university, laboratory and supplier partners.
Simulation
Modeling and simulation tools are used to optimize internal architecture and tread performance, with the goal of achieving the desired performance levels.
Testing
Rigorous on-track testing is then carried out at sites in France (Ladoux), the United States (Laurens, S.C.), Finland (Ivalo) and Spain (Almeria). The tire’s performance in terms of grip, noise and comfort, endurance, rolling resistance and wear resistance is tested on the track, on the road and in the laboratory. Tests are conducted on different surfaces in a full range of weather conditions- on dry and wet ground and roads and on snow and ice. Feedback is provided not only by the data collected by instrumentation but also by evaluations from professional testers. Further, Michelin also does extensive fleet testing to confirm top performance under a variety of punishing, real-world conditions.
Styling to enhance performance
Styling teams work on tread, sidewalls and their markings, and texture. At Michelin, styling serves not only an esthetic function; it is also intended to enhance performance. The chosen styling effects have an impact on production since they may involve new molds, manufacturing processes or components.
Process engineering
Once the prototype has been validated, the tire moves into the process engineering stage. The objective is to commercially produce the tire according to the initially defined model, while maintaining manufacturing quality and effectively managing production costs. Clearly, for Michelin, innovation extends well beyond the laboratory all the way through the production phase.
