The Ballymena Michelin plant is in celebration as the company produces its 30-millionth tyre.
Opened in 1969 and spread across 112 acres, the factory in Ballymena is the only tyre production plant in Ireland, employing over 950 people. The plant makes 1.4 million bus and truck tyres per year, 95 per cent of which get exported overseas. Along with tyre production, the factory also processes the rubber for Michelin's plants at Dundee and Stoke-on-Trent in the UK. The facility also provides support for other European sites.
Since the opening, the factory at Ballymena has been vastly expanded, doubling in size and capacity in the '90s. In recent years, the company's North American division controlled the plant, exporting 80 per cent of production to America - it was only in January of this year that the factory was put back into European hands.
The plant is also looking towards lowering its environmental impact by not only reducing its waste and CO2 output, but by erecting two wind turbines to vastly reduce energy consumption.
Along with the 30 million tyre celebrations, Michelin is using the event to mark the beginning of a new range of truck tyres for the facility - the Michelin X MultiWay 3D. The new brand was launched in 2011 and is designed to generate grip in difficult conditions, but has lower rolling-resistance to increase longevity and reduce fuel consumption.
"This milestone marks a key stage in the company's heritage," says Wilton Crawford, factory manager at Ballymena. "I am deeply grateful for our current site team members and our predecessors in Ballymena... all of these individuals have been the key in this significant achievement."