Robert Puiseux

"He is twenty-nine years old when, on May 28, 1955, Robert Puiseux calls him to management. The son-in-law of Edouard Michelin — “the invisible man of French industry” as the newspapers call him — is preparing to pass the baton, as the “Boss” had asked him to do. And it is to François Michelin, the grandson, that the responsibility of the House and that of the dynasty will go. He has the required qualities and, to the core, the house spirit. Robert Puiseux will mentor him for another four years before completely handing over to him in 1959 the power, with its challenges and responsibilities. Both at the head of the Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin, the holding company of the group created in 1951, and its main subsidiary, the Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques Michelin."

"In the OCX workshop, where the new radial tires were being manufactured, the staff was pulling their hair out: one out of two tires was defective. The most challenging part was finding the right rubber to hold the braided wire. Cutting the wire at different angles was done with hand shears. During curing, the wires were not always in place. Often, they crossed. The manufacturing inspections—X-rays—were disastrous. Robert Puiseux decided: “Keep going anyway. We will scrap half of the production if necessary. Or more.” Progress came after the big strike of 1950. During the two-month conflict, the rubber stored under the sheds aged. When it was used again on the machines, surprise! It was easier to work with and held better. It would not be forgotten."

"Born in Paris in 1892, Robert Puiseux is the son and grandson of astronomers. The war interrupted his studies when, as a “taupe” at Lycée Henri-IV, he was preparing for Polytechnique. His passion for mountains led him to meet the Michelins. Two years after the marriage of his sister Marguerite with Jean Michelin, André’s eldest son, he married Anne, Edouard’s third daughter. Tested like everyone else, entrusted with various missions, he was ultimately given the responsibility of “the technique,” the heart of the citadel. Punctual, discreet, solid, hardworking, and tireless, the adopted Auvergnat immersed himself in the mold that was imposed on him."

"Since there is no other solution, Edouard decided to establish a regency and entrusted it to the two men closest to him: his son-in-law Robert Puiseux, and his most faithful lieutenant Pierre Boulanger, whom he sent to restore order at Citroën. Two men who are, moreover, very dissimilar."