François Michelin, the grandson of Michelin & Cie’s founder and the head of his family’s tire company for 47 years, has passed away. He was 88.
Groupe Michelin announced his death on Wednesday, saying that François “dedicated his life to the company.”
“A visionary and a humanitarian, Mr. François Michelin tirelessly embodied the values of respect that are the very foundation of our group’s identity,” the company stated.
François was born on June 15, 1926. The son of Étienne Michelin and the grandson of Édouard Michelin, who co-founded Michelin & Cie in 1889, took over as co-managing partner of Michelin in 1955 after working various jobs with the company.
Michelin credits François with taking the group from being tenth in the industry to becoming the largest tire manufacturer in the world. In 1946, the company introduced the famous “X tire” – the company’s radial tire – which offered a significant improvement over bias-ply tires. Under François’s leadership, the company took the technology worldwide, expanding the range for passenger cars and introducing radial technology into truck tires, earthmovers, agricultural equipment, aircraft and motorbikes.
Between 1960 and 1990, Michelin noted that the company’s radial tire production was multiplied by seven and two new factories were built every 18 months worldwide. Notably, it was under François that the company expanded into North America among other continents. As a result, the company continued to grow worldwide until it became the world’s biggest tiremaker.
François entrusted the management of the group to his son Édouard at a shareholder’s meeting in May 2002. The company recognized him during the meeting for his 50-years of work at the company.
“On behalf of the group’s employees, I would like to pay special tribute to this exceptional man who was universally respected for his values, his convictions, and his vision,”said Jean-Dominique Senard, CEO of Groupe Michelin, when the company announced François’ passing.
François’ wife, the former Bernadette Montagne, died in 2013. He is survived by five children and six grandchildren.
