To combat high import taxes on cars and components, Michelin decided to open a factory in the UK to supply domestic car makers and many outlets and customers in the UK & Ireland. The search for suitable locations ranged far and wide with Stoke-on-Trent being chosen early in 1926. Work on the new factory took about 100 weeks to complete and boasted a branch line from the nearby main Manchester to London railway line. The first Stoke made tyre was produced in November 1927