“Beyond global tire production, Michelin also has the Michelin star restaurant guide division, and we also have the composites segment. This means we use different compounds similar to rubber across various industries, such as the medical sector or, for example, in the protective equipment industry, where specific technical characteristics are needed to protect workers in environments such as nuclear plants.

In Romania, Michelin operates three factories: one located in the Ploiești area and two in Zalău. In Zalău, we have a tire factory and a cord factory. Cord is the metal structure found inside every tire, and we export it globally. So even tires sold in America include cord manufactured in Romania,” stated Laura Busu, HR Lead, Michelin CBS Romania, during the People Empowering Business Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest.

Key Statements:

• The service center in Bucharest delivers corporate services for the Central Europe and Asia region. We also have certain regional leadership departments located here, as well as the cartography division.
• Regarding work from home, we operate under a hybrid model and we want to maintain this approach. It is equally important for us to ensure a similar employee experience for everyone, to the extent it is possible.
• In our factories, this work-from-home policy has been adapted for employees working on the production line, and we offer them additional days of paid leave.
• Top management and HR teams can build organizational culture together. There is no standard recipe that applies to every organization, but there are a few essential ingredients. There must be strong support from top management, engaged HR involvement, and participation from all levels of management.
• Our strategy is based on three pillars: people, profit, and planet. Any decision made within the organization, at any level, is evaluated through the lens of these three pillars, considering both advantages and disadvantages before moving forward.
• We use AI to support our people, but not to replace human interaction. Over the last three years, we have focused heavily on increasing the level of competence among all employees in using these tools.
• We organize “AI for All” events twice a year, and for those who want to learn more, we have the Citizen Bootcamp programs, where colleagues learn to build different automation robots and to work with accessible AI solutions, mainly in low-code environments.
• We all see that skill requirements are shifting, and I was looking recently at the World Economic Forum report, which highlighted that the top emerging skill is the ability to work with AI—combined with human reasoning and the ability to correctly interpret the data provided by AI.