From an innovation in response to an internal need to the conquest of an emerging market

Spurred on by the visionary initiative of certain people in Michelin’s industrial management team in charge of manufacturing moulds intended for the manufacture of tyres, the Michelin Group started creating the technology necessary for metal additive manufacturing very early on. Gradually, over a ten-year period, Michelin managed to master the implementation of this technology into its production system, thereby giving the Group an edge over its competitors. At the same time, 3D printing technology developed internally was chosen as a means of diversifying the Group’s activity. Michelin made a joint venture in 2015 with the French company Fives, and another with AddUp in 2016 which was divided equally between two shareholders. There are a number of challenges in such a dynamic market which is growing very quickly, and where established players come face-to-face with new entrants in a race to find the best technologies which can be spread industrially on a large scale.