Pirelli confirmed
brand of the year in Brazil. ‘Quatro Rodas' magazine published the ninth edition of the ‘Os Eleitos' survey, the annual research project on Brazilian motorists' index of satisfaction. The survey, conducted in collaboration with the consultancy company Gfk, asks owners of the forty best-selling cars in the country for their preferred brands. Pirelli came top in the tyres special category with a five-point percentage lead, confirming it as the country's preferred brand. (
quatrorodas.abril.com.br/eleitos/2009/)
"
Road safety is a priority for Europe", confirmed
Francesco Gori,
CEO of Pirelli Tyre and General Manager of Tyre and Parts, who took part, in his capacity as
Chairman of ETRMA – European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association – in the international conference on road safety, held at the European Commission in Brussels on 2 December 2009 Francesco Gori's speech focused on the fundamental role of the tyre, the only point of contact between the vehicle and the road: "Checking the pressure, and the use of winter tyres and approved tyres are among the crucial components for travelling in safety". (
ec.europa.eu//road_safety/;
www.erscharter.eu/)
Collaboration increased between
Pirelli and
Russian Technologies, who signed a new agreement in Rome for the
production of tyres and steelcord in Russia, in the context of the equal joint venture now being finalized. The agreement was signed in the presence of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, by the Director General of Russian Technologies, Sergey Chemezov, and the Chairman of the Pirelli Group, Marco Tronchetti Provera. In addition to the announced plan to build a new industrial plant in the Russian region of Samara in the second half of 2010, the agreement foresees the acquisition of an already existing plant, currently being identified among some potential interesting Russian enterprises, during 2010. Over a five-year period, Pirelli's new plants in Russia will guarantee a productive capacity of over 4 million parts, with an investment of approximately 300 million euros.
Pirelli Tyre and Parts has joined the Copenhagen Communiqué, the initiative promoted by the British organization the Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders' Group on Climate Change and supported by over 500 companies worldwide. The commitment's objective is to develop new policies – in particular to control CO2 emissions – as a response to the urgent issue of climate change. The Copenhagen Communiqué was presented at the subsequent United Nations Conference on the climate, planned in Copenhagen from 7 December onwards. Pirelli Tyre and Parts, together with Enel and Telecom, is among the Italian signatories of the paper, a testimony to the Group's commitment to a sustainable environment. (
www.copenhagencommunique.com)
This year Pirelli once more celebrated its innovative ability with the
Awards for Inventions ceremony, held in the striking setting of Castello degli Arcimboldi and the Auditorium of Palazzo Tyre in Bicocca, Milan. Seventeen inventors from Pirelli Tyre and Parts, inventors from Pirelli Tyre, Pirelli Labs and Pirelli & C. Eco Technology were rewarded, creators of 53 patents deposited in 2008 who received gold and silver plaques from the Chairman of Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera. Francesco Gori, CEO of Pirelli Tyre and General Manager of Tyre and Parts, Pier Giovanni Giannesi, Industrial Property Director, Maurizio Boiocchi, Pirelli Tyre Product Manager, Bruno Tronchetti Provera, Managing Director of Pirelli & C. Eco Technology and Enrico Albizzati of Pirelli Labs all took part.
"Pirelli knew the best way to seize opportunities in the Chinese market". This was the recognition given to
Pirelli on the occasion of the
"Top Investor in China 2009" prize giving awards, which took place in Milan as part of the "China-Awards-2009" ceremony organized by the Italy-China Foundation. The initiative – which took place under the patronage of the Ministry for Economic Development and the Foreign Ministry, in partnership with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China and with a contribution from the Intesa SanPaolo Bank – saw Pirelli distinguished for the significance of its investments in China.
Pirelli is growing in the renewable energy sector. Thanks to the agreement signed between Ambiente and Global Cleantech Capital (GCC), Pirelli Ambiente controls all the share capital of
Solar Utility. Founded in 2007, Solar Utility has to date operated as a joint venture of Pirelli Ambiente and GCC, a private equity fund specialised in investment in clean energy, to make joint investments in the photovoltaic sector. Under the agreement, worth about 8 million euro, Pirelli Ambiente will take over GCC's holding, and thus will gain complete control of the company.
The Pirelli HSE campus celebrated its first year of activity in Yanzhou, home of Pirelli's China plant. In twelve months, the higher training school guaranteed 100 hours of internships in five plants located all over the world: Izmit (Turkey), Carlisle (UK), Settimo Torinese and Bollate (Itay), and. lastly, Yanzhou (China).
Swiss motorists continue to prefer Pirelli. The Group won "
Best Tuning Cars & Best Brands 2009", the competition for readers of "Auto Illustrierte" (AI), the independent Swiss car magazine, for the fourth year running. According to thousands of Swiss readers, Pirelli remains the best brand of tyres of the year.
100 million euro loan for Pirelli. The European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed a
loan agreement for 100 million euros to support Pirelli group research and development projects for the period 2009-2-12. The loan is earmarked to support research and development in Italy and abroad to reduce the environmental impact of tyres, improving their performance and safety standards by identifying new materials and components.
Pirelli Tyres won an award at the Confindustria "VII Giornata della Ricerca" conference. At the ceremony, held in Rome on 6 November, the group was awarded the
Premio Imprese x Innovazione 2009 (Businesses for Innovation Prize 2008). Pirelli Tyre was recognised as having made "
a strong contribution to innovation and business results, achieved by integrating the concepts and tools of innovation into the daily activity of its staff at all levels of the organisation".
Inter star and Rumanian international Christian Chivu is the special testimonial of the 2009-2010 season of
Inter Campus Romania. The initiative is focussed on the social integration of kids between eight and fourteen years of age, through sporting activities and values. The presentation was in Slatina, home of the Inter Campus Romania "Liceo Sportivo", sports high school, and those present included Enrico Malerba, CEO of Pirelli Tyre Romania, Darius Dialcov, mayor of Slatina, Aldo Montinaro, technical director of Inter Campus, and Fr. Gino Rigoldi, chairman of Comunità Nuova.
Pirelli Latin America launches
Quality week. From 9 to 13 November, there will be guided tours of the production facilities in the company's plants in Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, and a series of meetings with Pirelli retailers and suppliers will be held at the Sumaré test facility. The aim of the initiative is to increase the attention and awareness of all Pirelli employees to quality as an integral part of the daily life of the company.
Pirelli is the top
brand recognised by male Brazilian consumers. So says "Top of Mind", the authoritative market study by Sao Paolo's Folha publishing group, which has been establishing which brands are most deeply rooted in the imagination of consumers since 1991.
The study is based on 6,000 interviews carried out in 160 Brazilian towns and cities, and a public over 16 years of age. Pirelli is also the best known brand in the tyre category among both men and women, with 42% recognition, a historical record for the category, which entered the survey in 2002.
Pirelli Tyre renews its planned commitment with
the new Quality policy guidelines 2009 . This document states the principles and actions to implement business quality.
Quality is at the centre of the activities of Pirelli Tyre, running through functions and processes, from the continual innovation of products, services, processes and systems, to protection of the health, safety and well-being of its employees, to protection of the environment throughout the life cycle of the product, to strategic collaboration with suppliers.
Pirelli was one of the first Italian businesses to sign up to the
Charter for equal opportunities and equality at work. The commitment was formalised in Milan, at the headquarters of Asslombarda, in the presence of Diana Bracco, Chair of the Fondazione Sodalitas, and Maurizio Sacconi, Minister of Work, Health and Social Policy. The Charter for equal opportunities and equality at work is a declaration of intent for the dissemination of a business culture and human resource policies that are free of discrimination and prejudice, and capable of valuing talents in all their diversity.
In Brazil, the celebrations of
Pirelli's 80 year presence in the country continue. The history of Plunga in Brazil, from the 1930s to the present, is now on line
www.pirelli.com.br/80anos with information on the production facilities, products, plantations and market achievements, as well as the company's cultural, sports and social commitments.