The Michelin Testing Centre in Almería (CEMA) celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year. The Cabo de Gata location was chosen due to the area’s microclimate – it has the lowest rainfall in Europe, together with medium to high temperatures, and thus provides ideal conditions for the various tests and evaluation processes that new tyres undergo before being launched on the market.

With an annual R&D investment of over 680 million euros, the French company has more than 6,000 experts working on developing new tyres, which are then tested in centres like CEMA, which is one of the group's most important centres in the world for experimentation and research into new products. Today, there is also the additional challenge of achieving the brand's self-imposed pledge for all its tyres to  be made from 100% sustainable, recycled or bio-based materials by 2050, and without compromising on performance.

A specialised test track complex
CEMA's facilities cover 4,500 hectares, including a total built-up area spanning over 60,000 square metres. There are over 100 km of specialised test tracks, with different surfaces that can be adapted to create virtually any type of driving conditions – Michelin designs tyres for cars and other forms of road transport, as well as for agricultural and construction machinery.

Each year, 250 approved vehicles are used to carry out tests over more than 20 million kilometres to assess the qualities and limitations of the tyres under real-life conditions. Variables like gripping capability on different surfaces, comfort, resistance to wear and tear and performance at high temperatures or in the event of accidents are all tested.

The workforce at CEMA is made up of more than 170 highly qualified experts, who use the most advanced technologies to capture and process the millions of pieces of test data collected on a daily basis. Tyres for all kinds of vehicles have been tested on these tracks, including those for driverless vehicles and solar-powered cars. Since 1995, Michelin has also rented out the facilities to vehicle manufacturers. But perhaps the company's most outstanding achievement was its contribution to creating the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in 1987.

Tyres of all kinds
CEMA was officially launched on 2 January 1973, with 59 employees, six test vehicles and a 3.5-kilometre test track, after Michelin had scouted out suitable land for a new test centre. The initial intention was to run tests specifically on tyres for public works and for use in the mining industry. As early as 1974, new tracks were built to accommodate tyres for agricultural machinery, and these were later followed by tracks for testing truck tyres.

In the mid-1980s, tests for passenger car, van and aircraft tyres began. It was not until the beginning of the new century that the first giant tyres made their appearance on its tracks, each with a diameter of over four metres, weighing in at 5.6 tonnes and designed for use on the world's largest dumper truck. Technological advances have been made in the meantime, and steadily incorporated by CEMA.

^{Photo: Michelin}