Amidst the roar of machines, high-end tires are rapidly formed on the automated production line at a rate of one every 18 seconds – this is a daily scene at Michelin’s Shenyang factory, and it is also a brilliant result of its roots in Liaoning.
On September 24, Michelin’s Shenyang factory celebrated its 30th birthday.
Since becoming Michelin’s first factory in China in 1995, the Shenyang factory has grown into the Michelin Group’s largest and most advanced high-end tire manufacturing base in the world.
“The Shenyang factory is an important milestone for Michelin in China.” said Ye Fei, President and CEO of Michelin Greater China and Mongolia.
“In the past thirty years, this place has achieved a leap from local manufacturing to global intelligent manufacturing, and has achieved remarkable results in green transformation and talent training. It is a vivid embodiment of the deep integration of the Michelin spirit and the Chinese market.” Looking back to 1995, Michelin introduced its first tire production line to Shenyang, starting its journey of deep cultivation in China.
Since then, the factory has undergone multiple expansions and upgrades, especially the addition of a passenger car tire production line with an annual output of 6 million units in 2018, which has continued to increase the gold content of “Made in Shenyang”.
The “Jinpeng Project”, which is currently being accelerated, will use an investment of 40 million euros to promote production capacity to 17.1 million units in 2025. By then, the 100 millionth passenger tire will roll off the assembly line, becoming a vital link in the group’s global supply chain.
When you walk into today’s Shenyang factory, you will feel the breath of intelligence.
Through cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning and digital twins, the factory has successfully transformed from “push production” to “make-to-order”, and the order response time has been shortened to as short as 24 hours.
In the field of high-value products such as silent tires, five dedicated production lines bring the production coverage to 35%, and the annual production capacity jumps to 5 million units.
With its leading practices in the field of digital intelligence, the factory was awarded the title of “National Smart Factory” this year, and its innovative experience is continuously feeding back into Michelin’s global network.
Green is another bright color of this factory.
From raw materials to product recycling, full life cycle green management runs throughout.
Starting from 2022, the factory has achieved 100% renewable electricity supply through photovoltaic power generation and green power procurement, and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 800,000 tons in the next 20 years; the self-built wastewater treatment station enables 100% recycling of industrial wastewater, saving 180,000 cubic meters of water annually, equivalent to 72 standard Olympic swimming pools; the proportion of sustainable material application has reached 31%, and it is moving towards the goal of 100% renewable and recyclable materials in 2050.
In recent years, the factory’s key indicators such as energy consumption and carbon emissions have dropped significantly. It has been awarded “Liaoning Province Green Factory” and “Shenyang Zero-Carbon Factory Typical Case”, becoming a leader in green and intelligent manufacturing in the industry.
Facing the future, the Shenyang factory is actively responding to the global green transformation and the national “double carbon” goal, accelerating its move towards a “zero carbon factory”.
This “future factory” that has grown together with Liaoning for 30 years is driving the innovation of the tire industry in a smarter, greener and more efficient manner, and continues to write a wonderful chapter of “intelligent manufacturing in China”.
