Michelin to open assembly plant

GREENVILLE, S.C. (April 18)—Michelin North America Inc. will open a 120,000-sq.-ft. truck tire and wheel assembly plant in Independence, Va., to support Volvo Trucks North America´s heavy-duty truck factory in Dublin, Va. The facility, located about 50 miles from Dublin, will have a work force of about 30 and is slated to open in June, according to Bob Quisenberry, director of original equipment sales for Michelin Americas Truck Tires. Tires will be shipped to Michelin´s plant by various manufacturers, stored, and, when needed, assembled in a specific order, inflated, placed in stacks of five, then loaded onto trailers in reverse order to match trucks on the line at Volvo, he said.