You can already see it from the highway. And when you arrive at the entrance to the Michelin factory in Cuneo, the feeling of being in a “city within a city” becomes increasingly stronger. Even the streets that separate the various warehouses have a name for better orientation. Almost one million square meters of extension, of which 380 thousand are covered. Michelin is the leading tire manufacturer in Italy – 14 million are produced a year – and the one in Cuneo is the most important centre: there are two others in our country, both in Piedmont, in Turin, Stura and Alessandria (to which is added the registered office in Turin and the commercial management in Milan for a total of over 3800 employees). But it is also one of eight plants in the world where Michelin tests the tires of the future. Every time a new product of the group is designed, the project also passes through Cuneo to be evaluated and to understand how it can be industrialized.
Innovation and tradition. Departments with autonomously driven robots and shuttles are flanked by assembly lines that are still standard but ready to be renewed. We proceed step by step but the construction sites to transform this immense space follow one another over time, piece by piece. Every year the parent company decides investments based on the objectives achieved: in 2023 they were around 55 million and the trend should be confirmed for 2024 too.
«You see, we are building the new thermal power plant there together with Edison», says Simone Rossi, director of the plant. It is the high-efficiency trigeneration plant capable of simultaneously producing electricity, steam and water for heating and cooling which will be ready soon. Thus, 16% of energy will come from renewable sources, corresponding to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 16 thousand tons per year. Not far away there is a silo system built last year, more automated and flexible, where the additives are stored. Each tire is made up of more than 200 products and with this new system you can add the “ingredients” you need automatically and precisely.
Six self-driving electric shuttles run in the large square next door, replacing the old trucks. They transport the finished tires from the six production lines to the storage warehouses according to defined routes: «Even in this way we have reduced CO2 emissions», says Rossi. Then, for now only in some departments, there are autonomously guided robots to bring the semi-finished products to cooking. «Before, we used a different system which, in the event of a failure, could have created problems for the production flow. Now they go individually and manual loading into the presses has been eliminated. Productivity goes hand in hand with the development of skills, now electronic ones are more needed.” And then there is quality control where the use of artificial intelligence has been introduced. «We use “Iris”, a 2D and 3D camera system that scans the tires while AI establishes whether the image can be associated with production defects. Previously this work – explains Innovation manager Michele Ambrogio – was carried out mainly manually. With this technology, skills shift to more professionalizing aspects within the department. Introducing an algorithm is not only a question of productivity but also of ergonomics and professional development.” For now there are six “Irises” installed and they do not cover all the controls. “The goal is to reach 100% in the next few months.”
Subsequent investments will be necessary to adapt to electric mobility which requires larger tyres: «We must modernize the plants to double the production of 18 inch and larger tyres. They need larger dimensions due to the weight and power of the vehicles. And the rolling resistance must be further reduced so as to increase the autonomy of the vehicles” because, as Rossi highlights, “the dynamics of an electric or hybrid vehicle has particular characteristics”.
From this “city” born in 1963 (Michelin in Italy began producing in Turin in 1906) every year 13 million car tires come out and 2,388 employees work there – 84% are workers and 16% office workers – to which this adds up to around 200 people with supply contracts. «In the automotive world, labor still has a strong impact on tire manufacturing» explains Cristiano Tessarin, work psychologist and personnel manager of Cuneo and Torino Stura. Yet, when visiting the plants, those who imagine them crowded with blue overalls in the various stations will have to think again because the professionalism has also evolved and much of the manual work has been automated (“You don’t stand still next to the machine but you manage processes”). «We must accompany the transformation by training people, which is also why we have created, in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Turin and Confindustria Cuneo, a Cim 4.0 innovation hub in Turin which, in addition to guaranteeing tailor-made courses, makes services and technology available to the other companies in the Cuneo area” comments Tessarin. Another point of union between the factory and the territory is the “Michelin sports club”, with fields and gyms open to all. In addition to various welfare tools, from the staff point of view, “working hours are a key construction site for the transition”. Trusted time has recently been introduced: all employees no longer clock in and out, but only their presence. This way everyone can better manage the reconciliation with family life.
The last challenge is environmental: «In 2050 – concludes Rossi – 100% of products will be made with renewable or recycled materials. Today we are at 30%. But in Italy there is a regulatory gap on recycled carbon black produced from end-of-life tyres.” Technology has advanced faster than regulation.