When talking about tyres, the name Michelin quickly comes up. The French company is one of the leading providers and developers of tires for road traffic. However, the company is also involved in other areas, including hydrogen research.
Michelin has been working on hydrogen fuel cell technology for more than 15 years. The fourth generation is currently being developed with the joint venture Symbio. The goal is now to scale production to reduce manufacturing costs. Michelin is working closely with Faurecia to make the joint subsidiary a leader in this field. The goal is to achieve a market share of 12 percent and sales of 1.5 billion euros by 2030.
The joint venture has already reported initial successes in the original equipment: the "StackPack® S" is already being used as standard in a hydrogen-powered Renault model. The "Kangoo Z.E Hydrogen" has been rolling off the assembly line with Symbio components since October 2019. Symbio is also equipping the Stellantis Group's first hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle fleet with its StackPack® system. The Stellantis Group introduced hydrogen-powered vehicles for business customers in 2021. In numerous other projects, Symbio works hand in hand with the automotive industry to accelerate the market launch of new models with innovative and efficient hydrogen-powered energy systems.
Maria Röttger is president and CEO of Michelin Europe North. Since 2018, the Michelin Group has been divided into ten regions worldwide. The Europe North region includes Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Scandinavian countries, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland as well as Iceland. The organizational center of the region is in Frankfurt am Main, which is also where the management is based.
In terms of sales, Michelin Europe North is the third-largest region within the Michelin Group and is therefore an economic driver of the company. Michelin employs around 7,000 people in Northern Europe, around 5,900 of them in production and logistics, and 1,100 in the central areas, sales and marketing.
As vice president chief administrative officer in Management Europe North, Röttger was previously responsible for the areas of human resources, law, quality, IT, purchasing, and industry in the region. She joined Michelin in January 2020 from the French food group Danone. There she held managerial positions in human resources and in the transformation of various areas of the company.
"Hydrogen is changing the course of the company" Maria Röttger, president and CEO of Michelin EUN