<picture class="article__media"> <img src="https://img.lemde.fr/2024/09/18/0/0/9520/6336/664/0/75/0/2247f72_1726697459700-l1012365.jpg" alt="Images Le Monde.fr" width="100%" height="auto"> </picture> <noscript> <img src="https://img.lemde.fr/2024/09/18/0/0/9520/6336/664/0/75/0/2247f72_1726697459700-l1012365.jpg" alt="A storage warehouse before tire shipment at a Michelin plant in Roanne, France, September 16, 2024."> </noscript> <figcaption class="article__legend" aria-hidden="true">A storage warehouse before tire shipment at a Michelin plant in Roanne, France, September 16, 2024. BRUNO AMSELLEM / DIVERGENCE FOR LE MONDE </figcaption>

Michelin has paused production of some specialty tyres at its French factories as demand falls, the company said Tuesday, October 8.

A plant in Troyes, northeast France, making tyres for farm equipment and another one in Le&nbsp;Puy-en-Velay, in the centre of the country, supplying civil engineering vehicles will close for several weeks, the company said, confirming a report in <a href="https://www.leparisien.fr/automobile/fermeture-temporaire-dusines-chomage-partiel-michelin-victime-collaterale-de-la-crise-automobile-04-10-2024-MVW74MTT2NAXVCFQOOZ62GOG6A.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Nouvelle fenêtre">Le Parisien</a> newspaper.

The French company said its factories making tyres for passenger cars remain open even as demand also falls, but it is in talks with unions "to look for solutions."

The slowing activity is linked to an "overall softening of the world economy, especially in the automobile industry where manufacturers' sales are down 20 to 25%," chief executive Florent Menegaux told Le Parisien. "Obviously, that impacts us and we are forced to adapt," Menegaux said.

The group, which employs 132,300 people, announced a series of voluntary job cuts in 2021. Over the past year it has also closed a factory in western France and another in southern Germany.

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Le Monde with AFP

Production of some specialty tyres will be put on hold at the factories in Troyes and Le Puy-en-Velay.{ai:summary}Michelin has halted production of certain specialty tyres at its French factories due to decreased demand, closing plants in Troyes and Le Puy-en-Velay for several weeks. The company cites a broader economic slowdown, particularly in the automobile sector, affecting overall sales.Despite the decline, Michelin's passenger car tyre production continues, and discussions with unions are underway to address the situation. The company has previously implemented job cuts and closed factories in response to changing market conditions. 
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