GREENVILLE, S.C.—Michelin North America Inc. has scheduled a "reactivation" event for Aug. 30 at its idled giant earthmover tire plant in Starr, S.C., where production was suspended in early 2016.
Michelin idled the plant three and half years ago in the wake of slowing global demand for giant earthmover tires. The factory in rural South Carolina opened in 2013 as part of a $750 million investment in off-the-road tires.
The plant, which sits on land adjacent to the firm's Lexington, S.C., OTR tire plant, is one of just three Michelin factories worldwide capable of making 63-inch radials.
Michelin said in 2015 it would maintain the plant and its equipment "on standby" with plans to restart it once market conditions and customer demand improves.
At the plant's christening in 2013, Michelin said it expected to export up to 80 percent of the plant's output, principally to Canada, South America and Australia.