André Jules Michelin (16 January 1853,
Paris – 4 April 1931) was a
French industrialist who, with his brother
Édouard (1859–1940), founded the
Michelin Tyre Company (
Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin) in 1888 in the French city of
Clermont-Ferrand.
In 1900, André Michelin published the first
Michelin Guide, the purpose of which was to promote
tourism by
car, thereby supporting his
tyre manufacturing operation.
In 1886, 33-year-old Andre Michelin abandoned his career as a successful
Parisian engineer to take over his grandfather's failing
agricultural goods and farm equipment business. Established in 1832,"Michelin et Cie" suffered from neglect and was on the verge of
insolvency following the founder’s death. Michelin’s grandfather had started the company that sold farm equipment and an odd assortment of
vulcanized rubber products, such as belts,
valves and
pipe. As soon as Andre took the helm of the company, he recruited his younger brother Edouard to join him at the company. Edouard was named the company’s managing director. While duly committed to the success of the business, neither brother had any prior experience selling goods or had the slightest idea where to even begin.In 1889 a
cyclist familiar with the Michelin Company approached Edouard with his flat tyre seeking assistance. Getting a flat tyre frequently meant cyclists were left stranded for hours. In the late 1880s, cycling was becoming a popular form of transportation...
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