BLACK STAR and MOBIVIA are reinventing the wheel together in Béthune!
Black-Star (specialist in reconditioned tyres for more than 40 years) has joined forces with Mobivia (Norauto, Midas, Carter Cash, ATU, etc.), the European leader in distribution and motorist service, to jointly produce large-scale eco-friendly tyres on the former Bridgestone industrial site in Béthune (North of France).
The success of our project will necessarily go through strong and unanimous support : a proactive civil society, and also the concrete support of the administration, local authorities and the State (article 60, AGEC Law) to allow us to see the emergence on the territory of Hauts de France this center of excellence around sustainable mobility.
Together, for the planet!
PRESS RELEASE
Reindustrialization of the Béthune industrial site:
Mobivia and Black-Star create a tyre reconditioning unit with the support of Bridgestone, ultimately creating nearly 200 jobs in the circular economy.
July 2, 2021: Mobivia, the European leader in multi-brand car maintenance and an emerging player in new mobility, and Black-Star, a French company that manufactures and sells reconditioned tyres, sign an agreement to create a collection unit, sorting and reconditioning of passenger car tyres within the Multi-Technologies Industrial Center in Béthune. Supported by Bridgestone, this first site reindustrialization project will create around fifty jobs in 2022, and nearly 200 jobs by 2025.
Mobivia, through its subsidiary iWip dedicated to the circular economy, and Black-Star will develop an integrated tyre recycling ecosystem on this industrial site in Béthune. This circular economy approach aims to give tyres a second life, while giving consumers access to a wider range of eco-responsible tyres at very good value for money. Collected from Mobivia auto centers (Norauto, Midas and Carter-Cash), the tyres will be transported, sorted and then reconditioned before being placed on the market again. Each reconditioned tyre saves 80% of material – i.e. 9kg of rubber and steel.
This circular economy project in the world of tyres will capitalize on the know-how and equipment of the Béthune site, of which it will use 25% of the surface. It will mainly generate jobs compatible with the skills of the former factory employees. This is the first concrete expression of the commitment made by Bridgestone to its employees and the region to revitalize the site and the region. It will start in January 2022, with a ramp-up as the activity develops.
This project constitutes a new stage in the development of a Multi-Technology Industrial Pole in Béthune, initiated by the agreement between Bridgestone France and SIG, the development and real estate subsidiary of the LOG'S group, for the acquisition and development of the site. This announcement also follows the signing of a revitalization agreement worth 16 million euros to promote the creation of activities and the development of employment in the area.
The project leaders would like to warmly thank the State, the Agglomeration Community of Béthune Bruay Artois Lys Romane and the Hauts-de-France Region for their support and their commitment at their side, without which this project would not have been possible.
For Agnès PANNIER-RUNACHER, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery of France, in charge of Industry: « I am delighted with the materialization of this project, which should ultimately lead to the creation of nearly 200 jobs corresponding to the skills of former Bridgestone employees. This circular economy project lays the foundations for a reconditioned tyre industry that benefits the environment. The constant mobilisation of State services alongside employees and local stakeholders is bearing fruit. We will continue to support the success of this project, and that of those who could set up on the former Bridgestone site and more broadly in the Béthune-Bruay area. The “Bridgestones” know they can count on my support.»
For Xavier BERTRAND, President of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council: « Almost 2 months to the day after the closure of Bridgestone in Béthune, we are happy to see a new industrial project creating jobs and committed to the sustainable economy arriving on the site. The tyre reconditioning unit that Mobivia and Black-Star are going to install brings hope to former Bridgestone employees and to the region. Alongside the State and the Agglomeration Community of Béthune-Bruay Artois Lys Romane, the Hauts-de-France Region will support this project financially. This first installation marks the renewal of the Bridgestone site: the Region will be alongside the former employees until everyone has found a solution and alongside the territory until the site is fully occupied. »
For Olivier GACQUERRE, President of the Agglomeration Community of Béthune-Bruay Artois Lys Romane and Mayor of Béthune : “The closure of the Bridgestone site was a major news event for the territory and the Urban Community immediately mobilized to mitigate as much as possible the impact of this announcement. Various steps have since been successively taken to restore a momentum that still needs to be continued. This first announcement concerning the implementation of this project is therefore a crucial step which makes it possible to maintain hope for the territory and more particularly for the former employees of Bridgestone. This project is all the more interesting in that it embodies very precisely the industrial transformation that we wish to stimulate in Béthune-Bruay, particularly around new activities with promising projects in the field of the circular economy.”
For Fabien DERVILLE, President of MOBIVIA : « After more than 20 years of developing 22 end-of-life management channels for used products from our Norauto, Midas, Carter-Cash and A.T.U networks in Germany, we are entering a new era that aims to extend the life of products collected. We started a few months ago the regeneration of lead batteries to give an additional life cycle for 1/3 of used batteries. It is now around tyres that we are continuing our commitment, contributing to the development of industries of the future in France, particularly in Hauts-de-France, with a project at the heart of Mobivia's Raison d'Etre : “Opening sustainable mobility to all.»
For Jean-Baptiste PIERET, President of Black-Star : « Tyres are being reinvented at Béthune through the conversion of part of the former Bridgestone site into an integrated ecosystem: collection, sorting, recycling and reconditioning of tyres. An ambitious industrial project, which aims to meet contemporary ecological challenges and in response to more sober, more reasoned consumer expectations.
Mobivia and Black-Star are participating in the emergence of a center of excellence around sustainable mobility in the Hauts de France territory, by placing re-industrialization and local jobs that cannot be relocated at the heart of the recovery system. To do this, membership must be strong, unanimous, and concrete by equipping you, us, local authorities with recycled tyres "made in Béthune"! “
For Daniel Giroud, Commercial Director and member of the executive committee of Bridgestone EMIA, in charge of finding recovery solutions and new activities for the Béthune site and the region : « The implementation of this first project is good news which concretizes the dynamics of reindustrialization of the site initiated several months ago. Bridgestone continues to honor its commitments made to employees and the territory. We are providing this project with essential support from a financial point of view (aid for hiring former employees), operational (transfer of the machines necessary for the project for a symbolic amount), commercial (by supporting the sale of reconditioned tyres in our distribution networks – Speedy, First Stop and Côté Route-) and technical (IT support, training). In addition, it is in line with our strategic objectives to use 40% sustainable materials by 2030, then 100% in 2050, since retreading makes it possible to reduce the quantities of raw materials used in tyres by 80%.»