Fundamental to everything Pirelli does – from managing suppliers to delivering tyres to Formula One – is the Quality department. The daily target is to keep Pirelli in peak condition – monitoring performance and continuously looking for ways to improve. Here's how Pierluigi de Cancellis sees Quality team's work.
How would you describe the importance of Quality at Pirelli?
Pirelli's Global Quality Policy is applicable to the entire Group and reflects our emphasis on excellence right along the value chain. There are certain Quality standards we must meet such as ISO 9001, the internationally recognised standard for Quality management, and IATF 16949, relating to the automotive sector, but, for us, Quality is far wider than that. It's a core corporate value pervading all Pirelli's functions and processes and forms the basis of the company's High Value Strategy to meet customers' mobility needs. There's literally nothing we do that is unaffected by it – from continuous innovation in products, services, processes and systems, to the promotion of the health and wellbeing of our employees, to environmental protection and our strategic collaboration with our customers and suppliers.
What are your key priorities in Quality at Pirelli right now?
Three things. First, anticipating and exceeding customer and market expectations of the Quality and performance of our products and services. Second, accelerating the technology evolution, in both our manufacturing process and our Quality-control systems. Third, reinforcing co-operation with Pirelli's partners along the entire value chain.
How do industry standards affect your approach?
Of course, they have an impact. Industry standards naturally evolve with the changes taking place in the wider automotive sector, they are not static. They're the baseline and we try to exceed them to maximise customer experience and the performance of the company. We're focused on standards that are setting the requirements for tyre performance, sustainability and operations, as well as those defined by our customers, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); this is the basket of standards we refer to.
You've described how your Quality Policy covers every aspect of the business. What are the main Quality metrics or key performance indicators (KPIs) you use to measure your success?
We look at Quality holistically, in line with the principles of the Total Quality Management approach. So we have many KPIs, ranging from customer satisfaction – be it OEMs or end-users – to manufacturing effectiveness and efficiency, to supplier performance. They are all intimately interconnected.
Can you describe how the rise of data has impacted your work?
Quality management is a data-driven discipline, so easier and more efficient access to data is a great benefit to our team. From deep statistical process analysis, the kind of activity that is typical for us, to quick decision-making on the shop floor, we benefit from fast, reliable, interconnected data-gathering that supports focused and efficient operations. Data play a key role in the continuous improvement process, especially when this is supported by the implementation of advanced methodologies, such as six sigma.
How much use of artificial intelligence (AI) are you making and can you give some examples?
These days, more and more examples of the application of AI are coming on-stream. Several of them are related to the online control of product Quality in our manufacturing plants with systems that detect process, material or product characteristics and automatically carry out required checks and then either support a human decision or trigger process adjustments to stabilise the production output if required. This is done through sensors, cameras and cutting-edge tools which support the implementation of algorithms that can detect and correct any potential deviation.
How do you work with other departments to integrate Quality considerations into the corporate culture and across the organisation?
Quality is fully integrated right across Pirelli. Thanks to a wide range of strong competences within the department, we have Quality specialists involved in a large variety of projects and activities from product development and investments to customer and supplier management. In all, we have more than 2,000 people working in Quality, both blue-collar and white-collar. They are skilled specialists, including product and process engineers, data analysts, auditors, statistics and metrology experts all focused on the continuous improvement approach. Our team co-operates with all internal and external stakeholders to guarantee the alignment of all relevant processes to the most demanding industry standards and regulatory requirements. And we also have the Quality Academy, which offers anyone in the Group the opportunity to become familiar with the discipline. This means we interact with everybody in Pirelli. Quality is embedded throughout the company, from top to bottom.
How do sustainability issues affect Quality?
Sustainability, of course, is one of the key pillars of Pirelli's global strategy. And let me say that Quality is, per se, a value which supports a sustainable way of doing business. We are intimately involved in many initiatives around sustainability. These include the appraisal of suppliers, continuous activity to improve process efficiency and the certification of products and manufacturing plants under internationally acknowledged sustainability schemes. We're also nurturing a new generation of specialists in both sustainability and Quality. In practice, both sustainability and Quality are cross-cutting disciplines in Pirelli. Everything, every process, can be executed more sustainably and with better Quality, every day.
How much of a challenge is it to ensure your suppliers maintain Quality – and how do you do it?
We have thousands of local, regional and global suppliers and the reality is that the Quality of our products is built on the Quality of the inputs we receive from them. So the selection and relationship management of suppliers is absolutely critical. Quality performance is a prerequisite to becoming a Pirelli partner. And it doesn't end there. We then continuously monitor the performance of all our vendors as part of a comprehensive evaluation of their work. We collaborate closely with them to improve all the time. I would say our Suppliers' Quality-management system builds value for our customers, rather than representing a challenge for Pirelli's output.
How much is Quality management involved in the relationships with motorsport, including F1, and how does this drive Pirelli's performance and innovation?
Motorsport in general, and F1 in particular, represents the ultimate challenge in the search for perfection in Quality. Every single tiny detail is controlled to the maximum extent to guarantee performance, reliability and consistency, because the requirements are extremely demanding. Motorsport really is a unique laboratory for Pirelli. Every day we test new technologies and implement new design, production and Quality control methodologies and solutions. We have a dedicated team of Quality specialists in motorsport. They're mainly located in the manufacturing sites where we produce racing tyres. Quality affects everything, even the way tyres are stored and shipped around the world and how they are handled because these are extremely specific products and need to be handled with special care to ensure they deliver that tremendous performance and reliability for which Pirelli is famous.
Can you tell us about Quality Week and what it involves?
Quality Week is an international event that takes place every year, typically in the autumn, and is devoted to fostering the Quality culture in an organisation. In 2024, the theme is “From Compliance to Performance”, and I think this will allow us to reinforce awareness that Quality is not just about important aspects like rules, protocols, procedures, standards and regulations, but is also a continuous and common pursuit of excellence – to create tyres that are chosen every day around the world because they offer drivers sustainable performance, leisure and safety. So, we see Quality Week as a great opportunity to spread the word and to reinforce the sense that Quality culture is about everybody in the company.
