Business culture, work-life balance, pay, training, career development opportunities and innovation management; those were the aspects examined this year in the CFR study, which has rewarded 25 companies in the automotive sector, from the major car manufacturers to small replacement product suppliers. Now in its fourth year, the research was carried out in collaboration with the consultancy company A.T. Kearney, CAR (the Centre for Automotive Research), the University of Duisburg-Essen and the Association of the German Motor Industry.

In particular, Pirelli distinguished itself in the primary benefit, career opportunities and innovation management categories. “For us and our employees, these are very important. To create an environment in which people feel at ease and can develop their abilities is, for us, a fundamental task. The award we have received makes us very happy and even more motivated in our commitment to work well for our employees”, declared Josef Lottes, head of human resources and organisation at Pirelli Germany.

CFR is an independent research company with operations in 12 countries on three continents. The HR projects of the CFR Institute include Top Employers (known locally as Best Employers South Africa, Top Arbeitgeber Deutschland und Der Schweiz and Top Employeurs France) plus projects in specific sectors such as Top Arbeitgeber Automotive, Top IT Employers, Britain’s Top Legal Employers and Careers SA.

For more information visit site:
http://de.toparbeitgeber.com/TopAutomotive.aspx

The Pirelli technology will initially be used in the Latrobe Valley in Victoria, Australia, as part of the program ‘Towards Zero Waste Policy’ introduced by the local government for containment of waste, with the aim of converting the 600,000 tons of MSW produced annually by the city of Melbourne into fuel. In particular, the exchange of technology will stimulate an investment by Bosco International to develop an HQ-SRF plant in Australia, once authorizations are obtained from local authorities.

The Pirelli HQ-SRF is obtained by adding other components with a high calorific power ( plastic from D.C. and rubber) to dry solid urban waste. It can be used to partially replace fossil fuels in already existing, non-dedicated, plants, such as cement works and thermal power plants and it yields significant environmental benefits for the population, both in terms of lower emissions in particular of CO2, NOX and SO2 from fossil fuels, and in economic terms (lower waste disposal costs).

The integrated system promoted by Pirelli Ambiente has been successfully used since late 2002 in the Cuneo Provincial Authority Area, with the Idea Granda project, a public-private partnership owned 49% by Pirelli, and 51% by local utility ACSR, with cement works Buzzi-Unicem of Robilante, which uses HQ-SRF in its main burner substituting more than 40% of coal-petkoke needed. From its beginning, this system has meant energy recovered from waste in the area rose more than 32%, a level greater than the Italian average (7%) and greater than the European average (27%). In addition, according to a study by the University of Milan in Bicocca using the Life Cycle Assessment Method, use of Pirelli HQ-SRF is, respectively, 90 and 72 times more advantageous for the environment than landfills and incinerators.

Pirelli Ambiente
Pirelli Ambiente is the Pirelli Group company focused on renewable energy. In the field of renewable energy sources and, in particular, of energy recovery from MSW (Municipal Solid Waste), Pirelli Ambiente has developed and patented a High-Quality Solid Recovered Fuel (HQ-SRF). In the photovoltaic energy sector, Pirelli Ambiente created Solar Utility SpA, which invests in roof based solar energy systems for production in Italy.

Bosco International
Bosco International Pty Ltd, established in 2006, facilitates services, systems and processes for industry sectors seeking to create a sustainable environment, including saving energy or protecting resources. Bosco works with Australian and international companies, to offer sustainable environmental solutions. It seeks to achieve approvals and introduce new processes and systems for positive environmental results in: Waste management, Recycling, Power Generation, Manufacturing, Soil Remediation, Water treatment, Agribusiness, Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Mining.

To know more:
http://quatrosrodas.abril.com.br/eleitos/2009/

The loan is for support of research and development in the field of product and manufacturing process innovation for reduction of the environmental impact of tyres, among other things, improving their performance and safety standards thanks to identification of innovative materials and components. The project regards activities of the various research and development centers of Pirelli in Italy and abroad, and was finalized as part of the 200 million euros credit line resolved upon by EIB last July.

The new loan consolidates the relationship between Pirelli and EIB, which in the past contributed to the Group’s constant commitment to innovation and development of its competitiveness on a global scale.

“We are happy to continue in our tradition of supporting the Pirelli Group, which makes investment in research one of the pillars of its policy for growth in international markets, placing great attention on the goal of reduction of polluting emissions – which is a priority for EIB,” said Dario Scannapieco, EIB vice president in charge of Italy, Malta and the Western Balkans.

“The loan from EIB,” said Marco Tronchetti Provera, chairman of Pirelli “represents a contribution to and an important recognition of the research activity of Pirelli, which has always been strongly committed in this direction with the aim of improving quality of products for the benefit of consumers and the competitiveness of the Group on the market. Today, in particular, this effort shows us committed to development of products and processes that are more and more eco-compatible, that is, oriented towards adopting technologies that offer customers not only safety and high performance, but also solutions which are respectful of the environment.”

Download EIB and Pirelli joint press release(pdf)