Michelin (/ˈmɪʃəlɪn/ or /ˈmɪtʃəlɪn/; French pronunciation: [miʃlɛ̃]; full name: SCA Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin) is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone.^[2] In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal (in North America) tyre brands. Most companies identify the new Michelin Energy tire, introduced in the early 1980s. It is also notable for its Red and Green travel guides, its roadmaps, the Michelin stars that the Red Guide awards to restaurants for their cooking, and for its company mascot Bibendum, colloquially known as the Michelin Man.

Among Michelin's numerous inventions, there is the removable tyre, the « pneurail » (a tyre for trains made to run on rails) and the radial tyre technology now used in modern "green tyres" that reduce fuel consumption.

Tyres and wheels[link]

Michelin manufactures tyres for space shuttles,^[3] aircraft, automobiles, heavy equipment, motorcycles, and bicycles.

History[link]

A 1898 poster by "O'Galop" of Bibendum, the Michelin Man

c. 1965-1970, view of old fashioned Michelin omnibus and two michelin men with bystanders behind Charles Rolls statue, Monmouth, Wales.

Two brothers, Édouard and André Michelin, ran a rubber factory in Clermont-Ferrand, France. One day, a cyclist whose pneumatic tyre needed repair turned up at the factory. The tyre was glued to the rim, and it took over three hours to remove and repair the tyre, which then needed to be left overnight to dry. The next day, Édouard Michelin took the repaired bicycle into the factory yard to test. After only a few hundred metres, the tyre failed. Despite the setback, Édouard was enthusiastic about the pneumatic tyre, and he and his brother worked on creating their own version, one which did not need to be glued to the rim. Michelin was incorporated on 28 May 1888. In 1891, it took out its first patent for a removable pneumatic tyre which was used by Charles Terront to win the world's first long distance cycle race, the 1891 Paris–Brest–Paris.

Michelin has made a number of innovations to tyres, including in 1946 the radial tyre (then known as the "X" tyre).^[4] It was developed with the front-wheel-drive Citroën Traction Avant and Citroën 2CV in mind. Michelin had bought the then bankrupt Citroën in the 1930s. As of August 2008, this tyre is still available for the 2CV. In 1934, Michelin introduced a tyre, which if punctured, would run on a special tire with a foam lining, now known as a run-flat tyre (self-supporting type).

In the 1920s and 1930s, Michelin operated large rubber plantations in Vietnam. The Vietnamese workers were exploited pitilessly and brutally, which led to the famous labour movement Phu Rieng Do.^[5]

" French Indochina - The French community of about 40000 lived in the European quarters, - for the mass of the population the reality was forced labour - working to produce the colony's exports of rice, tin, tea, and above all - rubber - the source of the fortune of the Michelin company." ^[6]

In 1988, Michelin acquired the tyre and rubber manufacturing divisions of the American B.F. Goodrich Company founded in 1870. This included the Norwood, North Carolina manufacturing plant which supplied tyres to the U.S. Space Shuttle Program.^[7][8] Two years later, it bought Uniroyal, Inc., founded in 1892 as the United States Rubber Company. Uniroyal Australia had already been bought by Bridgestone in 1980.

Michelin also controls 90% of Taurus Tire in Hungary, as well as Kormoran, a Polish brand.

As of 1 September 2008, Michelin is again the world's largest tyre manufacturer after spending two years as number two behind Bridgestone.^[9] Michelin produces tyres in France, Spain, Germany, the USA, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Italy and several other countries. On 15 January 2010, Michelin announced the closing of its Ota, Japan plant, which employs 380 workers and makes the Michelin X-Ice tyre. Production of the X-Ice will be moved to Europe, North America, and elsewhere in Asia.^[10]

Motorsports[link]

Michelin is the official tyre supplier of the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars used in the Porsche Supercup

MotoGP[link]

Michelin participated in MotoGP from 1972 to 2008. They introduced radial construction to MotoGP in 1984, and multi-compound tyres in 1994. They achieved 360 victories in 36 years, and from 1993 to 2006, the world championship had gone to a rider on Michelins.

In 2007, Casey Stoner on Bridgestone tyres won the world championship in dominating fashion, and Valentino Rossi and other top riders complained that Michelins were inferior. Rossi wanted Bridgestones for the 2008 season, but Bridgestone was reluctant to provide them; Dorna threatened to impose a control tyre on the series, after which Bridgestone relented.

In 2008, Michelin's tyres continued to be perceived as being inferior to Bridgestone's, and Michelin committed errors of judgment in allocating adequate tyres for some of the race weekends. Dani Pedrosa's team switched to Bridgestones in the midst of the season, a highly unusual move that caused friction between Honda Racing Corporation and their sponsor Repsol YPF. Other riders also expressed concerns and it seemed that Michelin might not have any factory riders for the 2009 season, leading to rumours that Michelin would withdraw from the series altogether. Dorna and the FIM announced that a control tyre would be imposed on MotoGP for the 2009 season and Michelin did not enter a bid, effectively ending its participation in the series at the end of 2008.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Formula One[link]

Michelin first competed in the 1977 Formula One season, when Renault started development of their turbocharged F1 car. Michelin introduced radial tyre technology to Formula One and won the Formula One Drivers' Championship with Brabham, before withdrawing in 1984.

The company returned to Formula One in 2001, supplying Williams, Jaguar, Benetton (renamed Renault in 2002), Prost and Minardi. Toyota joined F1 in 2002 with Michelin tyres, and McLaren also signed up with the company. Michelin tyres were initially uncompetitive but by the 2005 season were totally dominant. This was partly because the new regulations stated that tyres must last the whole race distance (and qualifying), and partly because only one top team (Ferrari) was running Bridgestones, and so had to do much of the development work. Michelin in contrast had much more testing and race data provided by the larger number of teams running their tyres.

Following the debacle of the 2005 United States Grand Prix where, because of safety concerns, Michelin would not allow the teams it supplies to race, Michelin's share price fell by 2.5% (though it recovered later the same day). On 28 June, Michelin announced that it would offer compensation to all race fans who had bought tickets for the Grand Prix. The company committed to refunding the price of all tickets for the race. Additionally, it announced that it would provide 20,000 complimentary tickets for the 2006 race to spectators who had attended the 2005 event.

Michelin has had a difficult relationship with the sport's governing body (the FIA) since around 2003, and this escalated to apparent disdain between the two parties during the 2005 season. The most high profile disagreement was at the United States Grand Prix and the acrimony afterwards. Michelin criticised the FIA's intention to move to a single source (i.e. one brand) tyre from 2008, and threatened to withdraw from the sport. In a public rebuke FIA President Max Mosley wrote "There are simple arguments for a single tyre, and if [Michelin boss Édouard Michelin] is not aware of this, he shows an almost comical lack of knowledge of modern Formula One". Another bone of contention has been the reintroduction of tyre changes during pit-stops from 2006. Michelin criticised the move claiming "this event illustrates F1's problems of incoherent decision-making and lack of transparency."

In December 2005, and as a result of the difficult relationship with the sport's governing body, Michelin announced that it would not extend its involvement in Formula One beyond the 2006 season.^[15] Bridgestone was then the sole supplier of tyres to Formula One until the end of the 2010 season, with Pirelli providing tyres for 2011.

The last race won on Michelin tyres in Formula One was the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso benefitting after the Ferrari engine of Michael Schumacher failed during the race. This gave Michelin a second consecutive Constructors' Championship win, with the 2005 and 2006, after Bridgestone's seven-year winning streak, and brought to a total of four the number of wins for Michelin since this event's inception back in the 1958 Formula One season; Michelin's other wins were in the 1979, and 1984 seasons.

Endurance racing[link]

Michelin is involved in endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series. In 2009 Michelin supplied tyres for 41 of the 55 cars entered in Le Mans.^[16]

Recent developments[link]

• Pax System
• Tweel
• X One

Active Wheel[link]

Active Wheel from Michelin includes in-wheel electric motors and a motorised suspension to free up space in the front or rear of the vehicle. This model also eliminates the need for other notorious space hogs like transmissions and exhaust systems. The wheels already have a vehicle ready to receive them, the Heuliez Will from Opel, and are also expected to come standard on the Venturi Volage sometime in 2012.^[17]

Other products[link]

Tyre retailer[link]

Tyre retail in Europe with ATS Euromaster, online in the UK with Event Tyres and in the US with its wholly owned subsidiary TCI Tire Centers.^[18]

Michelin claim certain tread patterns are available including the remix range (remould/retread) but are not at the distribution places.

Tour guides[link]

Michelin has long published two guidebook series, the Red Guides to hotels and restaurants, and the Green Guides for tourism. It now publishes several additional guides, as well as digital map and guide products. The city maps in both the Red and the Green guides are of high quality, and are linked to the smaller-scale road maps.

Maps[link]

Michelin publishes a variety of road maps, mostly of France but also of other European countries, Africa, Thailand and the United States. They have recently embarked in e-commerce selling Michelin maps and guides directly to the public through, for example, their UK website.^[19]

Online mapping[link]

ViaMichelin is a wholly owned subsidiary of Michelin Group, and was started in 2001, to represent Michelin’s digital mapping services. As of August 2008, ViaMichelin generates 400 million maps and routes per month on its main website.^[20]

ViaMichelin provides mapping and travel solutions for internet, mobile and satellite navigation products with street level coverage of Europe, USA, Australia, and parts of Asia and South America.

Michelin Challenge Bibendum[link]

The Michelin Challenge Bibendum is an annual major sustainable mobility event.

Management[link]

Michelin North America headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, United States.

From 1999, the company was headed by CEO Édouard Michelin. On 26 May 2006, Édouard drowned while fishing near the island of Sein, off the coast of Brittany.^[21] His death brought Michel Rollier, a 2nd cousin of Édouard Michelin, to the head of the company. Rollier was replaced in May of 2012 by Jean-Dominique Senard.^[22]

See also[link]

• Marius Rossillon

References[link]

External links[link]

	France portal
	Companies portal
	Aviation portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michelin

• Official website
  • Michelin guide website
  • Michelin digital mapping services

Data[link]

• Yahoo! - Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin Company Profile

v t e CAC 40 companies of France Accor Air Liquide Alcatel-Lucent Alstom ArcelorMittal AXA BNP Paribas Bouygues Capgemini Carrefour Crédit Agricole EADS EDF Essilor France Télécom GDF Suez Groupe Danone L'Oréal Lafarge Legrand LVMH Michelin Pernod Ricard PSA Peugeot Citroën PPR Publicis Renault Safran Saint-Gobain Sanofi Schneider Electric Société Générale STMicroelectronics Technip Total Unibail-Rodamco Vallourec Veolia Environnement VINCI Vivendi

Marco Pierre White (born 11 December 1961) is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary international cuisine,^[2] and his exceptional culinary skills.

White has been dubbed the first celebrity chef,^[2] the enfant terrible^[3] of the UK restaurant scene and the Godfather of modern cooking. White was, at the time, the youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars.^[2] He has trained chefs such as Gordon Ramsay.^[4]

Early life[link]

Marco Pierre White was the third of four boys born to Italian mother Maria-Rosa Gallina, who had come to Britain to learn English, and chef Frank White,^[5] who had struck up a conversation with Maria at the Griffin Hotel in Leeds while he was playing cards.

After marrying in 1954, they lived in a council house in East Leeds, and had sons Graham (1955), Clive (1957) (also a chef) and Marco. Six years later, Maria gave birth to a fourth son, Craig Simon. Two days afterwards, she collapsed and was taken back to St James's University Hospital, Leeds, where she died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 38.^[6]

After leaving Allerton High School in Leeds without any qualifications, White decided to train as a chef. He began his training in the kitchen at the Hotel St George in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and later at the Box Tree in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. Arriving in London as a 16-year-old with "£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes",^[2] he began his classical training as a commis under Albert Roux and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche, a period that would lead Albert to describe him as "my little bunny". He continued his training under Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire (now the site of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay), moving to work in the kitchen of Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and Nico Ladenis of Chez Nico at Ninety Park Lane. He then branched out on his own, working in the kitchen at the Six Bells public house in the Kings Road with assistant Mario Batali.^[2]

Career[link]

On completion of his training in 1987, White opened Harveys in Wandsworth Common, London (now the site of Chez Bruce), where he won his first Michelin star almost immediately and was awarded his second in 1988, before moving on to become chef-patron of The Restaurant Marco Pierre White in the dining room at the former Hyde Park Hotel, now Mandarin Oriental (where he won the third Michelin star), and then moved to the Oak Room at Le Meridien Piccadilly.

By the age of 33, Marco Pierre White had become the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars^[2] in England.

During these years White had working for him Gordon Ramsay, Eric Chavot (The Capital), Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), Bryn Williams (Odette's), Matt Tebbutt (The Foxhunter), James Detalier-Stocks, Donovan Cooke (Est est est) and in front of house Max (Mark) Palmer, one of the few English Maître d' of a Michelin 3-star, Claude Douart, Philippe Messy (youngest sommelier to gain 3 Michelin stars) and Chris Jones, unusual in being an English sommelier in a 2-star Michelin French restaurant at the age of 21.^{[citation needed]}

Although White worked for 17 years to pursue his ambition, he ultimately found that, in spite of his accomplishments, recognition and fame, his career did not provide him with adequate returns in his personal life. So in 1999, he retired and returned his Michelin stars.^[7]

I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth? I gave Michelin inspectors too much respect, and I belittled myself. I had three options: I could be a prisoner of my world and continue to work six days a week, I could live a lie and charge high prices and not be behind the stove or I could give my stars back, spend time with my children and re-invent myself.^[8]

During his early career in the kitchen, White regularly ejected patrons from his restaurants if he took offense at their comments.^[7]

When a customer asked if he could have a side order of chips with his lunch, White hand-cut and personally cooked the chips but charged the customer £25 for his time.^[7] A young chef at Harveys, who once complained of heat in the kitchen, had the back of his chef's jacket and trousers cut open by White wielding a sharp paring knife.^[9]

Marco is seen in adverts for Knorr, stock cubes and stock pots, a Unilever brand, in the UK. In answer to criticisms that he'd 'sold himself out as a chef' by acting as a brand ambassador for such products he said, "by working with companies like Knorr it allows me to stand onto a bigger stage and enrich people's lives... Michelin stars, they're my past." ^[10]

Retirement[link]

White announced his retirement from the kitchen in 1999 and cooked his final meal for a paying customer on 23 December at the Oak Room.^[2] After his retirement he became a restaurateur. Together with Jimmy Lahoud he set up White Star Line Ltd,^[11] which currently owns the Belvedere and L'Escargot restaurants in London.^[12]

White also has a stake in The Yew Tree Inn, a 17th-century dining pub near Highclere in North Hampshire. This was the setting for much of "Marco's Great British Feast," screened on ITV in summer 2008. In January 2009 it was reported that White was to charge £5 for a pint of real ale at the venue, making the Yew Tree "one of the most expensive places to drink British real ale in the country".^[13] White was quoted saying "Most pubs undercharge. You're not just paying for beer, you're paying for the place you drink it in and the people who serve it."^[14]

White is also dining consultant to cruise line P&O Cruises. A fine-dining Mediterranean restaurant called The White Room on board the cruise ship MS Ventura was launched in April 2008.

In February 2009 White opened the MPW Steak & Alehouse with James Robertson in the Square Mile in London. As co-owners they also operate the Kings Road Steakhouse & Grill in Chelsea (from 2010). Robertson had worked for White from 1999 - 2003 as a Maitre'D before leaving the group although the pair remained close friends.

In January 2010 he franchised a restaurant called "Marco Pierre White's the Swan Inn" in Aughton, which serves a selection of classic pub foods.

White has published several books, including an influential cookbook White Heat, an autobiography called White Slave (entitled The Devil in the Kitchen in North America and in the paperback version),^[15] and Wild Food from Land and Sea.

White appeared in trailers for the 2004 film Layer Cake.

In March 2010, White signed to promote the Bernard Matthews Farms brand of processed turkey products.^[16] In July 2011, White's range of Bernard Matthews ready meals were dropped amid poor sales, but he remained brand ambassador for Bernard Matthews Farms.^[17]

[edit] Hell's Kitchen

In September 2007, White was the Head Chef in ITV's Hell's Kitchen television series. Asked in April 2007 whether he would be following in the manner of the show's previous incumbent, Gordon Ramsay, White said, "Gordon did it his way; I'll do it my way. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves. I want my emphasis to be on the food and the kitchens rather than the swearing."^[8]

White also commented, "I might be the hardest person they'll have ever met but I've got a heart just as big. It's about picking people up off the floor and inspiring them to want to carry on 'til the end."^[18]

However, his publicity for Hell's Kitchen did not go as smoothly as planned during an interview for Radio Times' "One Final Question" feature. White took offence at one of the questions put by journalist Jenny Eden and abruptly ended the conversation. The next day, Eden received a copy of White's autobiography, The Devil in the Kitchen, with a note of apology inscribed inside the cover.^[19]

At one point during the series, controversy ensued when White said, "I don't think it was a pikey's picnic tonight." The remark prompted criticism from the Commission for Racial Equality. However, the show was defended by an ITV spokesperson, who indicated that warnings about its content were given before transmission, and that White's comment had been challenged by one of the contestants, Lee Ryan.^[20]

The book accompanying the show, Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen, was published on 23 August 2007 by Ebury Press.^[21]

White returned to ITV's screens to present the 4th series of Hell's Kitchen in 2009.

[edit] The Chopping Block

On 18 March 2008, it was announced that White would be the host of an American version of the Australian cooking competition series The Chopping Block.^[22] The series, produced by Granada America, the production company behind the American version of Hell's Kitchen, aired on NBC in March 2009 but was pulled after three episodes due to low ratings. After a three-month hiatus, 'Chopping Block' returned to complete its season.^[23]

[edit] Celebrity Big Brother 2011

On 27 August 2011, White was a houseguest on the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother to set a cooking task. ^[24]

Personal life[link]

White has been married three times. His first wife was Alex McArthur, who was the daughter of a surgeon from Buckinghamshire, and who worked at his local fishmonger. After a year-long romance, they were married at Chelsea Register Office on 8 June 1988; neither family attended the ceremony. White then met 21-year-old model Lisa Butcher at a London nightclub. They were engaged within three weeks. White says today that he was so intoxicated by her looks that he forgot to think about her personality.^[25] Engaged for two months, Butcher sold the wedding in a £20,000 deal to Hello! magazine. The wedding took place at the Brompton Oratory on 15 August 1992, where Albert Roux was best man, and Lisa had forgotten to invite his father and brothers. White says he knew the marriage was a mistake when he saw her £3,000 floor-length, backless Bruce Oldfield dress with cutaway sides. White told a reporter that she looked dressed to go down the catwalk rather than the aisle. Butcher says of their 15-week marriage: "We went to the Scilly Isles for our honeymoon. On the first day Marco turned to me and said, 'I don't love you.' We spent two miserable days when we didn't speak and he went shark fishing. Then I left." In her one interview about the marriage, Butcher has hinted that something unspeakable happened on the honeymoon: "Something very bad did happen but I'm not going to say what it was. It really wasn't a very pleasant experience for me and my family."^[26]

In 1992, White started a relationship with Matilde "Mati" Conejero, the bartender at The Canteen.^[26][27] and went on to have two sons: Luciano (born December 1992), Marco Jr., and a daughter, Mirabelle, born after White retired and the couple had married at the Belvedere on 7 April 2000. At the wedding, Gordon Ramsay turned up with a TV crew having told neither White nor his bride. White and Ramsay have not spoken since.^[5] After White became friends with city financier Robin Saunders, Mati wrongly suspected an affair between the two. White and his wife had a fight, after which White spent 14 hours in the cells of Notting Hill police station in January 2005.^[27] White and Mati began divorce proceedings in 2007 after she confronted two of his waitresses over affairs and his close relationship with singer/actress Martine McCutcheon.^[5]

White has a Japanese assistant called Mr Ishii, who chauffeurs him everywhere, as White does not have a driving licence. White originally met Mr Ishii while he managed the Mirabelle restaurant in Curzon St, Mayfair. The restaurant became available for sale and was quite sought-after, but his relationship with Mr Ishii persuaded the Japanese owners to sell to Marco.^[25] In his leisure time, White can be found freshwater fishing and game hunting.

White is a supporter of the Conservative Party.^[28]

References[link]

Alan Murchison is a Michelin-starred Scottish chef and restaurateur, living and working in England.

Career[link]

Murchison started his kitchen career as a kitchen porter, aged 14. Like most chefs, he worked in a number of restaurants, learning and promoting along the way. He had stints in Claridges, Inverlochy Castle, Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, L’ortolan and Nobu. In 1999, he became director of the cookery school of Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons.^[3][4][5]

Murchison returned to L’ortolan in 2001. This time as head chef. In 2003, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star.^[6][7] Two years later he left to take up a position as executive head chef at Chewton Glen hotel in New Milton, Hampshire.^[8] He left three months later.^[9] Ofter a a few minor consultancy jobs, Murchison rejoined L'ortolan in september 2004, this time as director-executive head chef with an option to buy the restaurant.^[10]

In 2007, Murchison jumped on the opportunity to buy the former Hibiscus restaurant in Ludlow, Shropshire from Claude Bosi. He reopened the place as Le Bécasse.^[11]

Later, Murchison founded "Alan Murchison Restaurants Ltd."^[12][13], later restyled as the 10 in 8 Fine Dining Group. The general idea behind it was:

The group now includes four restaurants and a cookery school.^[14]

Alan Murchison acquired Paris House in late 2009. The Woburn, Bedfordshire-based restaurant was bought out of the legacy of Peter Chandler, who died earlier in 2009.^[15]

Murchison also acted as mentor for the Nestlé Toque d’Or student catering competition 2010. In Murchison's opinion it is to give something back, having benefited from strong mentorship early in his career.^[16] He also took part in BBC's show Great British Menu 2010, representing Scotland. He did not reach the finals. ^[17]

In 2010, Muchinson added the New Angel restaurant to his "10 in 8 Fine Dining Group". He had the plan to reopen is with its original name Carved Angels, but found out that was impossible due to trademark issues. At the end, the restauirant reopend as Angélique.^[18][19][20]

In 2011, Murchison again took part in the show "Great British Menu". This time as a judge for the Scottish contestants.^[21]

Book[link]

• Food for Thought, 2007^[22]

Personal[link]

Murchison is married with Fiona and has four children.^[23]

External links[link]

• [Photo]

Restaurants and companies belonging to the "10 in 8 Fine Dining Group", part owned by Alen Murchison:

• Paris House - official website
• Angelique - official website
• La Bécasse - official website
• L'ortolan - official website
• Fine Dining Academy - official website^[24]

References[link]