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www.rockproducts.com ROCK products • DECEMBER 2014 14 IN THE KNOW IN THE KNOW I N D U S T R Y N E W S ness decision that will give Bridgestone the capacity to build these tires domes‐ tically and improve our supply systems globally," Garfield said. "Long term, the mining segment will grow, and we are now better‐positioned to respond more quickly, efficiently and reliably to the needs of our customers." Bridgestone's off‐road radial tire plant is the second tire manufacturing plant Bridgestone has built in Aiken County, S.C. The company has oper‐ ated a passenger tire facility in Gran‐ iteville since 1998. Michelin marked the opening of its newest plant in North America, which will produce the innovative MICHELIN X TWEEL Airless Radial Tire for commercial applications. An idea first conceived by Michelin research engineers in the United States, the TWEEL is a revolutionary non‐pneumatic tire that changed the configuration of a conventional tire, bringing together the tire and the wheel assembly into one solid unit. The TWEEL comprises a rigid hub connected to a shear beam by means of flexible, deformable polyurethane spokes, all functioning as a single unit. Unlike conventional tires, the TWEEL has no air, thereby solving what had seemed to be the unavoidable chal‐ lenge of chronic flat tires that plagues the landscape, construction, contract‐ ing, refuse/recycling and agricultural industries. "The TWEEL being built here in South Carolina is yet another dra‐ matic example of Michelin's long‐ standing commitment to break‐ through innovation," said Pete Sell‐ eck, Michelin North America chair‐ man and president. "The TWEEL concept was born at Michelin Americas Research Company in Greenville, S.C., one of Michelin's three global technology centers, and now the TWEEL will be manufac‐ tured right here in the Greenville area to satisfy a growing commercial market." The new plant gives Michelin the ability to boost output of its award‐ winning MICHELIN X TWEEL SSL skid‐steer tires and begin produc‐ tion of the new MICHELIN X TWEEL TURF as original equipment for John Deere to equip its ZTRAKTM 900 Se‐ ries line‐up of zero‐turn commercial mowers. "Differentiating us from competitors, the TWEEL airless radial tire is the industry's first commercialized air‐ less radial solution and verifies Michelin's leadership for the next generation of mobility," said Ralph Dimenna, head of Michelin Tweel Technologies. "The TWEEL airless radial tire enables Michelin to enter new markets and expand its reach in existing business segments within the low‐speed application category. The industry is hungry for solutions contributing to productivity, safety and bottom lines. Serving our cus‐ tomers is at the center of our strat‐ egy for success." The new 135,000 sq.‐ft. facility in Piedmont, S.C., represents Michelin's 10th manufacturing facility in South Carolina and the 16th in the U.S. The company will invest about $50 mil‐ lion in the new plant. Michelin South Carolina Plant Will Produce TWEEL FAST FACT TWEEL is a revolutionary non-pneumatic tire that changed the configuration of a conventional tire.