Sustainability Channel

Spain: new logistics hub inaugurated

Barcelona, February 2010: Pirelli Neumáticos España, S.A. can from today count on a new Logistics Hub at the Manresa factory (Spain) suited to the conduct of this new activity.

The hub, which began to be functional on 4 January, covers a total of 27,000 square metres and includes a new warehouse of 2,800 square metres and 19 loading and unloading bays. The site, run by 80 people, offers its services to all Pirelli’s clients in Spain and Portugal for all the divisions: car, truck and motorcycle and is capable of moving 250 tons of product per day.

To develop the new skills and manage the new responsibility, in December 2009 employees of the logistics, commercial, marketing and risk prevention departments held specific training courses for the hub’s personnel, over 80 people all of whom come from the old factory at Manresa.

In this way, after about 20 days all such personnel had taken part in lecture sessions on subjects such as: logistical distribution, managing competition tyres, risk prevention and safety, marketing and the range of products in order to improve their knowledge and abilities necessary to carry out their new tasks.

Through this new hub, Pirelli wishes to facilitate and optimise the logistical procedures of the company, improving in that way the service offered to clients in terms of rapidity and flexibility of operations and to always guarantee the availability of products of all ranges.

Said Adolfo Borgoñó, logistics manager, PINSA, “The new Manresa hub is a fundamental element in the logistics strategy of Pirelli at a world and European level, and will complete the existing network that exists in Egypt, China and Brazil. The new logistical hub is converting itself into a true logistical-distributive competence centre, where it will be possible to consolidate its know-how through the tests and development of logistical solutions which will be best suited to the tyre market”.

Green performance arrives at Daytona

The first competition for the new P Zero Racing slicks without aromatic oils started at 3.30 pm on Saturday 30 January, when Pirelli’s 2010 racing tyres dominated Daytona with their green performance.

The new slicks, which were tested at the Daytona circuit a month before the race, produced consistency, durability and speed to the full satisfaction of all the teams which, for the third successive year, were fitted exclusively with Pirelli.

The new P Zero Racing rain tyres also took on the 48^th Daytona 24 Hours with renewed bite on a track made exceptionally challenging and demanding by freezing rain, winds and storms that alternated with dry spells and less cold temperatures.

“We are incredibly proud of our organisation and the products we design, develop and manufacture”, said Tom Gravalos, vice-president of marketing, motorsports and original equipment sales at Pirelli Tire North America. “Our capability to support and supply our racing tyres at the highest level was made very clear today. Many tyre brands that purport to be in the motor sport business cannot manufacture their own racing tyres because of the expertise required. However, Pirelli motor sport has proved over the last 102 years of victories that a racing heritage is earned not bought”.

The winner of the Daytona Prototype Rolex 24 was car number 9, the Action Express Porsche Riley driven by Jaoa Barbosa, Terry Borcheller, Ryan Dalziel and Mike Rockenfeller. They covered 755 laps at an average speed of 111.930 mph (180.10 km/h) and put in a fastest lap of 1 minute 41.722 seconds.

Altogether, competitors in the 2010 Daytona race covered 22,500 laps for a total of 80,100 miles (128,880.9 kilometres) exclusively on Pirelli tyres.

The next Grand-Am event will be the Grand Prix of Miami at the city’s Homestead Speedway circuit on 5 and 6 March, a round in the Rolex Sports Car Series.

PIRELLI: ‘SUSTAINABILITY YEARBOOK 2010′, WORLD SECTOR LEADER FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

The ‘2010 Sustainability Yearbook’ not only places Pirelli as ‘Sector Leader’ and ‘Gold Class Company’ in the ‘Autoparts and Tyres’ sector for the third year in a row, but also awards the company, for the first time, the title of  ‘Sector Mover’ thanks to further significant growth in terms of sustainable performance. Pirelli has thus obtained all three of the prestigious top titles, confirming its leadership in sustainability in its industry both at worldwide level and in Italy.
Edited by SAM Group, the Swiss Asset Manager responsible for the evaluations for admission to the Dow Jones sustainability indices, and by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the ‘Sustainability Yearbook’ is considered the most complete and authoritative publication in the world on trends and corporate performance in terms of sustainability.