n.
in full Compagnie Générale des Etablissments Michelin
Leading French manufacturer of tires and other rubber products.
It was founded in 1888 by the Michelin brothers, André (18531931) and Édouard (18591940), to manufacture tires for bicycles and horse-drawn carriages. It introduced pneumatic tires for automobiles in the 1890s and soon became one of the major European tire producers. Michelin opened its first foreign plant in Turin in 1906 and has since expanded production in many countries; it was reorganized as a holding company in 1951. It also publishes a famous series of travel guides and road maps. Its headquarters are at Clermont-Ferrand.