The last tyres roll off the production line at Michelin.

‘Sad day’ as French firm brings premature end to manufacturing at Dundee site – which will now be turned into innovation hub

A Dundee factory that has produced tens of millions of tyres over almost 50 years has stopped production.

Covid-19 has caused a sudden end to manufacturing at Michelin Dundee, which had been due to close at the end of June.

The machines at the Baldovie factory were turned off on Monday in light of the government’s announcement urging people to stay at home.

Michelin had initially planned to pause production until April 13, when it intended to restart manufacturing until the factory’s closure this summer.

However, the global tyre firm said it believes the growing challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak means resuming manufacturing would be “unviable and unwise”.

The decision has been taken in agreement with the Unite union and all employees will continue to be paid at their normal rate until the end of June.

John Reid, factory manager at Michelin Dundee, said employees would be mobilised to volunteer for projects set up by the community, government and health services to support people during the Covid-19 crisis.

Mr Reid added: “It’s a sad day for everyone but our priority is the safety of our workforce. This is an unexpected end to tyre production at our factory, but we believe this is the best decision for our employees and their families.

“Bringing guys together to make tyres with the risk of further spreading the virus wasn’t sensible. Everyone’s a bit upset about it but also agrees it’s the right thing to do.

“I’d like to thank our team in Dundee for their support and hard work during what has been a very challenging time.”

The Michelin factory, which opened in 1972, has been run down in line with the number of employees on site while the company has been striving to find its workforce alternative employment.

Mr Reid said output was already extremely low when the machines were turned off on March 23.

Stocks of the tyre sizes made by

Michelin Dundee are high and they are not used by critical services such as ambulances.

In November 2018, around 850 Michelin staff were told that tyre manufacturing at the large Baldovie Road complex would cease in 2020.

Since then more than 500 workers have found a “positive destination” – retirement, further education or a new job. Mr Reid said Michelin would continue to help staff to find alternative employment.

Work is also continuing to turn the factory site into the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP) – a hub for sustainable mobility and low-carbon energy.

Mr Reid added: “We were close to getting the first couple of companies to sign to come in to MSIP but we are working to a 10-year plan.

“Hopefully the impact of the coronavirus will be months and then we have the rest of the time to get back on track. Even now, we are getting three or four inquiries a week from companies.”

The decision to close Michelin’s Dundee factory was made in light of falling demand for smaller tyres and the influx of cheap imports from Asia.

Bob MacGregor, Unite regional industrial officer, said: “It’s a very sad day for the people of Dundee.

“However, we want to recognise that Michelin has acted as a responsible employer throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and has agreed to pay the workers their full wages up until the summer.

“Unite continues to work with the company to find a long-term future through the repurposing of the plant.”

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “From when the closure of the site was first announced, Michelin have been an exemplar in terms of supporting their staff and their commitment to Dundee.

“We will now turn to the future for the site and look to deliver our shared commitment for the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc once the Covid-19 outbreak has passed, to deliver a world-class innovation centre and skills academy.”

Michelin has been a key part in the fabric of industry in Dundee for almost 50 years.

The vast site had the capacity to produce between seven and a half and eight million tyres a year and, until recently, employed the best part of 1,000 staff.

At the peak of employment in 1990, the factory had 1,400 workers.

Now, two years shy of the factory’s 50th birthday, the machines at Michelin Dundee have fallen silent.

It’s perhaps not a surprising decision in light of the extraordinary times we find ourselves in, but it’s a sad moment nonetheless.

I had the privilege of a tour of Michelin six months ago when the factory was already halfway through its wind-down process.

The focus on quality was clearly evident – from the state-ofthe-art machines and buildings that Michelin had invested heavily in right to the very end, to the professionalism of the staff, striving

“Workers that did find other jobs received their full redundancy package

for perfection under difficult circumstances.

What has also been quality has been the way Michelin has treated its workforce – setting up an on-site careers centre for workers to find other jobs, paying for training and even training them in how to give interviews.

Workers that did find other jobs received their full redundancy package.

And the leadership throughout of Michelin factory manager John Reid has been impressive, regarding the rundown of the site the most important period of his career with the company spanning more than 30 years.

Production at Michelin Dundee has not ended the way he or anyone else imagined – but the safety of the workforce has been made a top priority.

The machines at Michelin may have fallen silent for now. But hopefully it is not long before it is an exciting hub of activity again as work continues on transforming the site into a Centre of Excellence for emerging technologies and the hundreds of jobs lost are returned to Baldovie.