Nestled in the charming Basque Country, between the picturesque towns of Lasarte and Usurbil, is the factory that has forever changed the course of the tire industry: the Michelin Lasarte factory. And there we were gathered, along with the rest of our press colleagues, to tour all the departments of one of the most important factories of the French brand.
Michelin Lasarte: past, present and future
The Michelin Lasarte factory has a long history dating back to 1932when the French company bought land here to build its first factory in Spain. In 1934, the plant made history by creating the first tire, a Comfort-type model designed for passenger cars and other vehicles. Since then, Michelin Lasarte continues to shine as symbol of excellence and innovation.
But Michelin is looking to the future with a clear objective: to conquer the moon. This is thanks to Moon Rover, a tire designed to withstand the extreme and unknown conditions of the moon, which is giving Michelin the opportunity to overcome its own limits and solve the most difficult challenges. In this way, space exploration will go smoothly, which also will improve mobility on Earth creating tires capable of overcoming the most extreme conditions.
Being present in sea, land, air and space is motivated by its investment in R&D&i; a total of more than 1.2 billion euros with which the best engineers and designers create the tires of the future.
World reference in motorcycle tires
The Michelin Lasarte factory is a world reference in the specialization of motorcycle tires in the sport, road and off road segment. Produces more than 12,000 tons of tires per year and provides employment to 490 people. But only 10% of this production stays in Spain, since 90% is exported throughout the globe, mainly in America and Europe.
One of the main reasons for this incredible production data is its robotization and the digitalization of its processes when manufacturing tires. And as you walk through the factory, you come across a large number of AGVs, intelligent robots capable of transporting material throughout the factory autonomously. The objective of this innovation is to improve the conditions of workers by giving them supervisory tasks and relegating repetitive tasks to automatic processes.
As for the types of tires manufactured, there is a bit of everything: 46.4% are sport touring, 32.1% sport and hypersport, 9.4% trail, 3.9% off-road, 3.8% custom, 2.2% competition (radial and Moto E) and 2.2% scooter.
In the area of competition, Michelin Lasarte plays a crucial role. The factory is responsible for tires used in international and national championships. All competition motorcycle tires are manufactured there except for those for MotoGP, which are manufactured in France due to proximity to the raw material, although they would have the capacity to do so.
Michelin 2024 News
In addition to visiting the factory, we took the opportunity to discover a little more about this year's new products. Michelin has launched three new tires that promise to improve the driving experience. He Michelin Anakee Road It is a road tire designed specifically for Trail motorcycles, with a Trail aesthetic and a main use on the road (90% on 10% off).
It offers optimal wet grip for safer driving, mileage performance thanks to a long-lasting tread center compound, and stability in any condition thanks to MICHELIN 100% silica technology and MICHELIN 2CT+ technology. on the front and rear tires. At SoyMotero we have been able to try them and the truth is that they gave us very good feelings.
On the other hand, the Michelin Power 6 It is designed for sports bikes and offers maximum wet and dry grip for optimal control, and precise and agile handling to enjoy uncompromising sporty riding.
Finally, the Michelin Power GP2 It is a tire designed for mixed road-track use (50%-50%) on sports motorcycles that allows you to feel like an expert track rider and ride with total confidence on the road. It offers great dry grip potential, precise handling for a better experience, and MotoGP-inspired performance.