The story of Andre Michelin

The tire manufacturer Andre Mislen

The man who did much more than simply establish the Michelin!
” Leading an empire ” could be the title of the life of the famous French tire manufacturer .

That’s because his life and career are intertwined with both the history of the automobile and the development of the first commercially successful tire inner tube .

It was in 1886 when the uncle of the two brothers , as well as the history of Michelin is at the helm two men , Andre and Edouard Mislen called the engineer Andre and the painter Edouard to abandon their dreams and return promptly to the cottage industry of Clermont – Ferrand to save her from imminent bankruptcy .

Founded by their grandfather , Aristide Barbier, 1832 , the small firm specializing in manufacturing farm equipment , but does not go well at all anymore , so I asked urgently the new blood of the family back to his hometown to take charge of the faltering company .

So searching for sustainable solutions to development, targeting the engineer Andre – which operated until that moment his own machining company in Paris – entered the vulcanized rubber , as she had already revealed the possible use of the industry.

And so began the Michelin manufactures tires , with the rest is history and yet a unique story business gumption and vision : how two brothers that got a company in decline and the heart of the French countryside were gigantic in one of the most innovative and successful commercial tire manufacturers worldwide!

early years

Andre Gil Mislen born on January 16, 1853 in Clermont – Ferrand France in bourgeois industrialists family : his grandfather founded the saw JG Bideau & Co, a company that manufactures farm equipment and working alongside a small rubber processing factory , producing belts, gaskets , piping , valves , and children’s balls .

Six years later , the family gets a second child , Edouard (1859-1940) , which will make Andre the duo yperepitychimeno business several years later . Andre studied engineer and moved permanently to Paris , with promising young entrepreneurs to set up a company there metallurgy and doing pretty well …

The birth of Michelin

It was in 1886 when Andre will be called back by his family to save the family business faced openly anymore the risk of bankruptcy. His first job , to convince the painter brother to let the dream of art and return from Paris the French province to help in the mammoth task .

The Edouard agrees and the two are thrown with the face on the job , certainly not before changing the name of the faltering brand to «Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin» ( 1888) . The two brothers see the future of their business in vulcanized rubber and automobile , which is certainly in its infancy : the paved streets of France in circulation in 1900 only 3,000 cars !

Despite the fact that Andre was the engineer of the group decided to keep the department promotion and marketing of Michelin, showcasing enviable business acumen . As for the painter Edouard , his own inclination in tire manufacturing and innovative research will not be long in any look …

The visit of Doom

Three years after the founding of Michelin, 1889 , a quiet afternoon presented the squadron with flesh and bones in front of two brothers : a cyclist approached the factory asking for help to repair the tire of his bike . The bike had a set of brand new and innovative ” pneumatic tires ” that had just been launched on the market by the Scottish businessman John Boyd Dunlop.

The workers of Michelin took hours and hours to mend the puncture of the bike , as the Dunlop tire was stuck to the rim so it could be removed from the frame. When finally they did , the man took a bike ride and was thrilled by the smoother and faster ‘ riding ‘ quoted the tires of ” pneumatic ” of Dunlop.

At that moment she realizes that tires the tires and the air was the future of the car and decides to find a faster and easier way to remove and repair them .

From this adventure for the development of the first removable rubber in the world is to be born of tires Michelin!

The Michelin enters the map manufacturers

The first successful commercial product of Michelin, which had 52 workers now , it was a brake rubber , that demons brothers emphatically called “The Silence ” ( 1889 ) . It was now clear that Michelin was directed transport , gradually giving up other activities.

The firm acquired a timid first name when they launched the idea of Andre for removable and easily repairable tire for bicycles in 1891 ! Until then , the deflated tires could be repaired in specialty shops like this that functioned Mislen and took about 3 hours to an experienced craftsman change . The joint effort of the two brothers reached a patent , the innovation of the ” removable pneumatic tire ‘ can be repaired or changed on site in just minutes !

Andre Mislen simultaneously proves to be far ahead of its time in terms
advertising and marketing. Already from the first time to release the new tire in 1891 , uses the bicycle races in France to promotarei removable hose . In the race even Paris – Brest -Paris that first year , the cyclist team of Michelin, Charles Terront, suffers rubber and fixes itself on the side of the road , before won the victory in this race of 1200 km .

The incident led many to begin to see the effectiveness of the leadership of the removable rubber . Seeing ‘ bread’ to the race bike , the man organizing the next year ( 1992 ) of Michelin race between Paris and Clermont – Ferrand , the two brothers to scatter nails along the route to show the public and the athletes that a flat tire was no longer a big problem !

The Michelin and automotive adventure

The inventive minds of the duo , both in terms of innovation and entrepreneurial showmanship , now had to convince car manufacturers to change their traditional car tires ( wheels like those of horse-drawn carriages ) to removable air of Michelin.

And so , when notified by any solemnity the first detachable tire car tire and air , the famous Eclair in 1895 , and had to prove to the world the unrivaled functionality , took part in a motorized race Paris – Bordeaux -Paris driving even the car themselves . For the first time in the history of motoring , a car stood in the air!

Andre Mislen , who had previously stated that motoring as it operated had no future , made ​​the first functional rubber and drove very convincing and longer for an unfair superiority . By the turn of the new century , Michelin longer deal exclusively with tires …

The guidebook Michelin and other promotions

It is true , however, that without the gumption Andre to promote the Michelin tires would not be this happened. Already in 1900 the Andre and others looking for ways to promote its tires and such a move the sprite skarfistike the guidebook Michelin, the now famous «Michelin Guide», which was nothing more than a list of hotels and restaurants in roadsides , filled from end to end with ads Michelin!

The promotional gimmick Mislen , released 35,000 free copies , catapulted the automotive industry, at the same time gave a new and unprecedented momentum in many more areas , such as tourism , catering and accommodation . Published on the sidelines of the International Exhibition of Paris in 1900, «Michelin Guide» was an extensive list of French cities with suggestions for focus and stay en route , at the same time and containing instructions for changing and repair of removable tire brand but the full list of 600 auto repair shops in France ! Andre commented prophetically about the release of «Michelin Guide»: « This guide was born in this century and will keep himself and the century .”

Indicative of discernment Andre was the creation ( 1908 ) OSS services, which gave selflessly to the drivers concerned a full shot Trip ! The ” Guides Michelin» shared even free until 1920 , when Andre , in a typical visit to a tire dealer , he saw to his great disappointment drivers stacked to act as a support to a workbench . From the moment Andre introduced its charges , claiming that ” man only respects what pays .” And of course in 1926 added another category to the driver , also the famous ” Star Michelin» the ranking of restaurants , an institution that is currently the most brilliant in the field of creative cuisine …

Two years before the «Michelin Guide», Andre skarfistike the ” Man of Michelin» (1988), the lovable ogre that was entirely made ​​of tires ! It was a day that saw the resourceful engineer a stack of tires of different sizes in the factory and commented : ” Add the hands and feet and could say that like people.” In his mind indeed seemed so was born the incredible promotional trick of the company, «Michelin Man»!

Andre even cobbled together the first sketch «Michelin Man», the official name of which means the firm was «Bibendum» ( chubby guy ) . And speaking another page of history, the emblem of the first Michelin regarded worldwide corporate symbols!

The propellant acumen Andre looked really unstoppable , as he was now behind each motor event. When , for example , broke the barrier of 100 km / h of electric car in 1899 , Michelin tires wore . Score ? By 1906 , more than 4,000 workers employed at the factory in Clermont – Ferrand , the same year the firm established the first factory outside France , in Turin, Italy , and the next time Michelin tire factory appears in New York.

Simultaneously , Michelin contributed to the emergence of the first truck in 1908 , giving him leitourgikotato double elastic ! At the same time , to become even more efficient tour guides , provide the 1910 municipalities of France more than 30,000 signs with street names ( own inspiration was also the numbering of the streets ! ) .

Equally important is the contribution of aviation , as Andre launched since 1908 Michelin Grand Prix to help the aircraft to leave the ground. And of course in 1916 , in an effort Michelin to create a corridor that would allow planes to take off even in rain, engineers ‘re up to the first concrete runway in the world .

During the First World War , the brothers Mislen offer their services to the French government , producing aircraft anymore . The first 100 even came out of the factory in Clermont – Ferrand delivered gratis to the French state, which of course had to pay for about 2,000 airplanes leaving a Michelin …

The empire of Michelin

After the war , the innovations of the brand at tire continued with the same undiminished extent. The 1923 Michelin throws on the market the first tire low pressure ( 2.5 atm) that could cover more than 15,000 kilometers. Two years later , the company acquires its own rubber plantations in Indochina , while by 1927 the parent factory in Clermont – Ferrand , which now totals 10,000 workers .

In 1929 Michelin throws in the first auto market , the «Micheline», launching simultaneously and wheels for trains , while in 1932 its new tire miracle withstand more than 30,000 kilometers.

And the rest is of course the story of the evolution of the elastic flesh and bones , a unique adventure that will not be a chance to see integrated Andre , who left the world on April 4, 1931 , certainly not before lay the groundwork both for their own empire and for the same automobile.

And it was thanks to the incredible marketistikes strategies , and the specification of tire quality of Edouard , raised Andre the foundation for one of the biggest corporate giants of the world ..