Michelin and Maxion Wheels Receive 2018 CLEPA Innovation Award for Cooperation

Michelin, one of the world’s largest tire makers and Maxion Wheels, the world’s largest wheel manufacturer, received a 2018 CLEPA Innovation Award at this year’s European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) Innovation Award program. The jury recognized the two companies’ joint innovation efforts that resulted in the latest wheel invention, the ACORUS Flexible Wheel, with third place in the “Cooperation” category during the June 13, 2018 award ceremony.

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Pieter Klinkers, Chief Executive Officer of Maxion Wheels, who accepted the award on behalf of the two companies had this to say, “The automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation and collaboration is key to success in this fast-moving business environment. It not only strengthens and accelerates innovation, it enhances our knowledge and expertise. The ACORUS Flexible Wheel is the result of two global leaders pooling their know-how to deploy the MICHELIN ACORUS Technology into an innovative product for the passenger car market.”

Vincent Rousset-Rouvière, Executive Vice-President of the Original Equipment business line for passenger car tires at Michelin added, “Very early into the project, it became clear that we had to work together with Maxion Wheels and their wheel expertise, to bring this technology to the market quickly.”

Introduced at the IAA Cars 2017 in Frankfurt, Germany, the ACORUS Flexible Wheel is a newly designed wheel-tire combination built to withstand tough road conditions and keep drivers and passengers safe. The patented new technology incorporates two flexible rubber flanges mounted on a special wheel body to create a flexible wheel that improves driving comfort and absorbs impacts from potholes and curbs.

In addition to damage reduction, safety and improved mobility, the ACORUS Flexible Wheel has further benefits for the driver. While improving both comfort and noise levels, there is also an environmental benefit in using MICHELIN ACORUS Technology; the Flexible Wheel is designed to work with any brand of tire, including low rolling resistance tires – meaning lower CO2 emissions and better fuel economy. The innovative wheel solution also means fewer damaged tires and wheels are being thrown away following pothole damage.

The CLEPA Innovation Awards, organised in cooperation with Deloitte and with the support of the Dutch member RAI, celebrate outstanding achievements in the European automotive supply industry in the fields of Environment, Safety, Connectivity and Automation and Cooperation. For the first time, a special prize was awarded in each category to SMEs, acknowledging the important contribution of small and mid-sized companies to the industry’s resourcefulness, ingenuity and competitiveness.

For more information, please visit: https://clepa.eu/events/201806-clepa-innovation-awards/

ABOUT THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS (CLEPA)

CLEPA is the European Association of Automotive Suppliers. It represents over 3.000 companies supplying state-of-the-art components and innovative technology for safe, smart and sustainable mobility, investing over 20 billion euros yearly in research and development. Automotive suppliers in Europe employ nearly five million people across the continent. Based in Brussels, Belgium, CLEPA is recognized as the natural discussion partner by the European Institutions, United Nations and fellow associations (ACEA, JAMA, MEMA, etc.).

ABOUT MAXION WHEELS

Maxion Wheels, a division of IOCHPE-MAXION S.A., is a leading wheel manufacturer for passenger cars, light trucks, buses, commercial trucks and trailers. The Company also produces wheels for agriculture and military vehicles, as well as other off-highway applications. With more than 100 years of wheel-making experience and 10,000 employees globally, Maxion is the world's largest wheel manufacturer, producing 56 million wheels per year. The Company serves its global OEM customers from 28 locations in 15 countries on five continents, and has state-of-the-art technical centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

ABOUT MICHELIN

Michelin, the leading tire company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 171 countries, has more than 114,000 employees and operates 70 production facilities in 17 countries which together produced around 190 million tires in 2017. (www.michelin.com)

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Contact information

Maxion Wheels
Colleen Hanley
Global Director, Marketing
and Communications
Tel: +1 (734) 737-5204
Mobile: +1 (248) 916-2477
Email: colleen.hanley@maxionwheels.com
or
Michelin
Alain Ritaly
Media Relations Manager
Mobile: +33 (0)6 67 30 73 34
Email: alain.ritaly@michelin.com