Exec. Interview: Michelin's Garcin on Sustainable Growth [Audio]

Sustainable mobility has become a buzzword in the automotive industry, as carmakers look toward an electric—and zero-emissions—future. But how exactly will this grand idea be achieved? Michelin North America has an idea. This year, Michelin introduced its “Michelin in Motion” plan, its “all sustainable” strategy to drive new growth in the next 10 years with a focus on people, planet and profit. It includes tackling vehicle electrification challenges, as well as new business opportunities that don’t necessarily include tires.

In this episode, we speak with Alexis Garcin, chairman and president of Michelin North America, to dig deeper into Michelin’s 10-year plan and what it means for North American tire dealers. We discuss:

Vehicle electrification challenges in which Michelin can play a role in tackling in the Americas [00:15 in video]
How the tire supply chain can become more sustainable in the next decade [5:20 in video]
Michelin’s role in passing its ESG initiatives down to the tire supply chain to dealers and distributors [8:08 in video]
Why Michelin is looking to venture outside the tire industry and what its focus on services and data solutions means for dealers [9:38 in video]
How Michelin is using 3-D printing in its commercial tire technology and future uses of this new business unit for the company [12:17 in video]
Industry growth in the 19-in. and up segment and how Michelin’s “Simplexity” project aims to help dealers with SKU complexity [13:56 in video]
Michelin’s “bold acceleration” through its Michelin in Motion sustainable mobility plan [15:45 video]

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They say that 10,000 hours of practice will make you an expert at whatever task you've set your mind to. If that's the case, what does 120 years of practice make you? (That's 1,051,000 hours, for the record).

In 2023, Continental marked its 120th year of retreading truck and bus tires. Today, the tire manufacturer retreads more than one million truck and bus tires worldwide every year – conserving resources and reducing costs all along the way. In fact, according to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT), retreaded tires reduce CO2 emissions by up to 50% compared to new tires. The amount of recycled and renewable materials in retreaded tires can be up to 85%.