Foreword

In July, we held the latest Workshop for the European automotive accessories licensees – in Stoke! Of course Stoke isn’t a great place to take a holiday but it did not matter because the goal was not to rest in the sun! More seriously, Stoke is the MLL Headquarters, where the MLL central team are based. This is why it was so important for this Workshop to take place here – so both new and established licensees could discover MLL HQ and all of the MLL team.

The Workshop was very interesting because of the various different exchanges between licensees about synergies – and these are now priority actions for MLL to develop alongside our licensees. Some examples of discussed synergies were:

• The product development by Custom Accessories Europe (CAE) on Inflators and Foot Pumps. These products are manufactured by TATA, but all licensees can have access to them with FOB prices and a small fee to CAE for their design and development.
• Licensees have, for the first time, joined forces to organise a shared booth at the Automechanika show in Frankfurt. The MICHELIN branded booth will provide cost benefits and better visibility for everyone involved.

We also reminded all attendees at the Workshop that they really must now create their accounts for the Licensee Extranet site.

I also want to report on two major developments for MLL:

1. Before the end of this year, MICHELIN Wiper Blades will be present in every zone:
   – In South America in Brazil and Argentina
   – In North America in USA, Canada and Mexico
   – In Europe in France, Germany and the UK
   – In Asia in China, Taiwan and South East Asia
2. After more than a year of hard work, the MICHELIN soles business is starting with some technical shoes in the market. Licensee, Jihua Vestar International will begin with launching MICHELIN soles for TCX Moto boots and Northwave cycle shoes and will continue with further launches which you can read about in future issues of this Newsletter.

The launch of the MICHELIN soles is a good example to show MICHELIN as a very powerful and recognisable brand when people speak about mobility, grip and performance – but is also appealing to consumers. What is better than a quote like this from the Northwave Founder and President;

“Tire treads’ technology by Michelin means a terrific strategic added-value to further improve the performance of our off-road footwear”.

 

Christian Delhaye
Managing Director
Michelin Lifestyle Limited