SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Feb. 16)—Michelin North American Inc. has expanded output of X One wide single truck tires, adding a dedicated production line for the product at its Spartanburg plant.
Michelin said the expansion is being undertaken to meet demand from its independent truck tire dealers, travel plazas and fleets.
X One wide single tires are designed to replace dual tires on the drive axles of trucks and on trailers, offering "significant" weight and fuel savings, Michelin said. The company has been selling the product in North America for about five years, and Michelin claims thousands of trucking fleets and individual owner/operators now are using them.
Michelin's truck tire dealer network includes more than 1,100 commercial dealers and more than 160 travel plazas throughout the U.S. In addition, tires produced on the line will be used to meet the needs of fleets requesting X One wide single tires as original equipment on their new trucks and trailers.
At the same time, Michelin Retread Technologies Inc. is investing in molds to increase capacity for precured tread rubber for the wide singles.