France

Michelin tyres have a long history. In 1889 Édouard Michelin took over a factory in Clermont Ferrand, France. The plant had produced farm machinery and rubber balls, but turning it to tyres, he renamed it Michelin et Cie. Since then, Michelin has become a leading innovator and manufacturer in fields as diverse as motorbike, aviation and earthmover tyres but the firm is perhaps best known for its passenger car and truck tyres - not to mention its Michelin Man logo, which is known as Bibendum. Michelin is also famed for its restaurant guides, with its stars the globally recognised indicator of the world's finest culinary hotspots. Michelin is the largest tyre manufacturer in the world - only Bridgestone competes with the venerable French brand - and is significantly larger than the third and fourth largest players, Goodyear and Continental.

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