Pirelli Selects New Logistics Company
Pirelli Tire, has selected Kuehne + Nagel to implement a new North American supply chain solution, including optimisation and management of its warehousing and distribution network.
Known for its style, speed and performance marketing values, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational company based in Milan, Italy, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, with a temporary privatization period by the consortium led by the Chinese state-owned enterprise ChemChina.
Pirelli Tire, has selected Kuehne + Nagel to implement a new North American supply chain solution, including optimisation and management of its warehousing and distribution network.
The Department of Trade and Industry’s autoindustry.co.uk website is reporting that Pirelli and Continental are to enter into a joint venture in Romania. The £27 million project will be split 80:20 between Pirelli and Continental, with Pirelli holding the majority share. The operation will be based in Slatina and will produce 30,000 tonnes of steel thread a year for tyres sold by both firms in Eastern Europe.
Although it debuted only 15 days ago at Imola with a double podium finish, the Pirelli-shod Maserati MC12 raced to victory once again at Oschersleben, Germany, last weekend.
The team initially opted for intermediate Pirelli tyres and later switched to P Zero slicks.
“The machine today was very good,” stated winning driver Bertolini. “We made a great effort and must thank Pirelli for supplying great tyres that we were able to double stint to victory.”
Petter Solberg has won the Wales Rally GB, claiming his third successive victory in what commentators described as a thrilling final day.
Pirelli & Co SpA recorded a group net income of 131 million euros in the first half ended 30 June 2004. The figure is particularly impressive when it is compared with same time the previous year. In the first six months of 2003 the company had a net income of –21 million euros. In 2004 the group expects a significant improvement in results in all activity sectors, both at operating and net level.
Pirelli have partnered with DUB magazine to sponsor the ‘Nelly Golden Ticket Album Contest.’
Two Pirelli employees based in Burton on Trent have been busy organising a company collection for the victims and families of the Beslan school atrocity. Clare Crighton and Hannah Williams collected in excess of £400.00 in a day. Clare Crighton: “We were extremely touched by everyone’s generosity and how this tragedy has touched everyone”.
Subaru’s Petter Solberg has won the inaugural Rally of Japan. By the end of the second leg, Solberg had built up lead of more than a minute over Citreon’s Sebastien Loeb.
Carlos Redondo has been Pirelli’s CEO for Latin America since the beginning of 2003. Before that he was CFO for Pirelli Tyres worldwide. With a turnover of approximately 1 billion euros, about one third of Pirelli’s total worldwide turnover Mr Redondo is successfully piloting his division from its headquarters in Sao Paulo. Tyres & Accessories met Mr Redondo last month in Usuhaia, south Argentina, in conjunction with the launch of its new Sottozero winter tyre. To download the whole article as a PDF file, click here.
Alcatel and Pirelli announced today that they have completed the transaction regarding their respective submarine telecommunication businesses, after having received approval of Italian Antitrust Authorities.
It was no coincidence that Pirelli selected the world’s southern most urban extremity, Ushuaia, Argentina, to launch its new Winter Sottozero tyre. The latest addition in its Planet Zero range, the company claims that the tyre is its “most extreme ultra high performer to hit the market.”
The tyre manufacturer considers itself to be a “global leader in ultra-low UHP tyres.” And so, the launch of its new tyre, to satisfy the increasing demand for high performance driving in winter conditions, was hardly unexpected. The tyre is being marketed as “the first real dual-season winter tyre.” Its significance comes from its ability to handle severe road conditions, the company boasts: “Sottozero does, in fact, represent a new concept: to ensure the maximum level of performance and safety in all the extreme situations that winter often imposes on the roads.”
Sottozero is designed to serve from the end of October, until the beginning of April, whatever the conditions, whatever the car. This is a big statement by the Italian company, and suggests its confidence in the tyre’s future success. It even goes as far as to compare it to the most technically advanced summer tyres. However, its description as a ‘fall and winter’ tyre is somewhat contradicted by its name; as Sottozero, ‘below zero,’ brings the reference back to snow and ice. While it may have been popular in Germany this will certainly limit its appeal in markets such as the UK.
The words on everybody’s lips this year are high performance winter tyres. Pirelli is no different, and claims to have experienced a 38 per cent increase each year, in the amount of HP tyres sold. It also maintains that, over the last five years, there has been a 12 per cent increase in demand for V rated tyres; whilst sales of H index tyres have levelled out, and only rose by 10 per cent in the same period. This shows an outstanding development in the market, when winter tyres were first launched they were only available in Q and S ratings.
In light of this research, rim dimensions are a major concern of the new tyre. The company believes that this is high amongst consumers’ priorities because it means they no longer have to change down to smaller wheels in order to achieve maximum safety on ice and snow. Drivers can now utilise the same rims for good and bad weather motoring. To satisfy this demand, the new tyre range offers a portfolio of sizes that ranges from 15-19 inches, and includes the 19 inch directional-asymmetric pairing that is used as original equipment for the Lamborghini Gallardo. All sizes are available with speed ratings up to V. As well as pleasing the HP driver, the possibility to fit winter tyres to wider rims will also be welcomed by style connoisseurs, whose modern sports cars necessitate wide rims and tyres with lower shoulders.
Pirelli claims 4.5 per cent of the $75 billion total world tyre market, and is predominantly based in Europe, where 45 per cent of its business is conducted. According to the company, the total European winter passenger car tyre market has risen 89 per cent in the last 10 years; from a 13.1 per cent share of the overall tyre market in 1993, to 24.7 per cent in 2003. This equates to sales levels of 18.5 million winter tyres in Europe in1993 to 45.7 million in 2003. The market segment (snow tyres) in which Pirelli’s new tyre will be launched, amounts to over 19 million tyres in Europe alone. With a market of this size there is little doubt that a demand for the product exists.
When the leading Italian stock index, the MIB-30-Indexes, updates its listing on the 20 September the “utility” company Terna will be taken as a new member, the Swiss Neue Zürcher Zeitung writes. According to the newspaper, when Terna joins the renowned index it will probably replace tyre and cable manufacturer Pirelli C. & S.p.a.
High-speed action on gravel roads was the order of the day, at this weekend’s WRC race in Finland. The double world champion Marcus Grönholm and his new Peugeot 307 CC drove in a league of their own, won, and putting Grönholm back in contention for the title.
Michelin, as one of the race series’ two tyre suppliers, occupied the further places with Ford driver Markko Märtin and Citroën star Carlo Sainz. The victory Champagne must have tasted particularly sweet, since it was the seventh season victory for Michelin. The win also represents the first World Rally Championship triumph for the new Peugeot. Current champion, Petter Solberg and his Subaru (on Pirelli tyres) fell at the first hurdle, having an accident on the first day.
Buell, a Harley-Davidson subsidiary, has selected Pirelli as its exclusive tyre supplier for its new Lightning CityX XB9SX. The company, which specialises in the production of sport motorcycles, has called the new model an “urban street fighter.”
The forthcoming season of the WRC championship will see the Peugeot team racing for titles on Pirelli tyres. A recent press release issued by the manufacturer claims that the contract provides this new co-operation for the coming three seasons. Pirelli views the contract as “proof of performance of the P Zero rally tyres“. Up until now, Michelin was delivering tyres to the Peugeot team in the WRC championship.
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