Down to the last millimetre: MICHELIN NAZCA automates regrooving
-
NAZCA regrooving machine speeds up truck, bus, and coach tyre regrooving, boosting workshop productivity and flexibility.
-
The NAZCA innovation is designed for a wide range of tyre brands and sizes.1
-
Automated process, frees technicians to focus instead on alignment,
repairs and wheel installation, boosting profitability.
Michelin has revealed NAZCA, an automated regrooving system that modernises a key element of vehicle maintenance, at IAA Transportation 2016 in Hannover.
While regrooving is a long-established part of truck, bus, and coach tyre maintenance,2 the process has remained manual to this day – making it time-consuming and dependent on the skills of individual technicians.
The NAZCA innovation automates the regrooving process in line with manufacturers’ recommendations with the goal of high quality, reliability and repeatability.
The retreading machine was developed by Michelin engineers and, thanks to a high-resolution laser scanner and advanced algorithms, can measure tyres, model deformation and wear patterns, and continuously control the cutting depth. Since the geometry of each tyre is unique, the system adjusts the cutting depth across the entire width and circumference of the tyre in real time. This ensures that the tyre’s potential is fully utilised down to the very last millimetre, ensuring operators safely maximise the working life of every tyre and helping them lower the total cost of ownership.
NAZCA was tested in real-world conditions for over a year and can increase the number of regrooving operations completed by workshops. According to Michelin, it could boost regrooving capacity by 30% to 50%3, depending on the workshop’s operating conditions.
Each regrooving operation requires less than three minutes4 of hands-on time, freeing technicians to focus on other tasks like alignment, repairs, and tyre installation or removal. This is also an advantage given the shortage of skilled workers in the industry. Automating the re-cutting process thus makes repair shops not only more profitable but also more flexible.
Designed to meet workshops’ needs, NAZCA is compatible with a wide range of tyre brands and sizes1 that have a robust enough casing to undergo the lifespan-extending regrooving process.
Approximately 20 NAZCA machines are currently undergoing pilot testing across Europe. In 2027, Michelin will continue rolling out this innovation in several countries. The commercial launch will be gradual and adapted to the specific characteristics of each market.
NAZCA will be on display on the Michelin stand at the IAA Transportation in Hannover
from 14 to 20 September 2026.
[1] Access to the catalogue of regrooving programs with continuous “recipe” enhancement based on manufacturer recommendations and including the main brands and sizes on the market (premium manufacturers and their affiliated hot retreading and Tier-2 brands).
[2] Regrooving is the process of restoring tread depth by cutting a new pattern into the tyre's existing undertread rubber using specialised equipment. It helps extend tyre life, maintain the tyre in its most fuel-efficient state, improve grip performance, and maximise the use of the tyre casing before retreading. By extracting additional mileage from each tyre, regrooving can also help fleets reduce operating costs and lower the environmental impact associated with tyre replacement.
[3] In normal production mode, i.e. installed and used in compliance with the NAZCA team’s instructions.
[4] Estimate based on tests called technical Proofs of Concept (POC) carried out in operational conditions for a cumulative total of one year at three Euromaster branches. More than 400 regrooving operations were completed during these POCs, which made it possible to define the average hands-on time per technician in normal operating conditions