Pirelli in Romania: A Powerhouse of Excellence
Pirelli’s presence in Romania is one of great commitment to high-end manufacturing and environmental sustainability, and a close focus on people. It all started when a plant was set up to manufacture V-belts, but it continued with the creation of one of the world’s most important and advanced tyre manufacturing facilities. “New Pirelli Factory in Romania” was the title with which, in its issue no. 5 of 1974, the Fatti e Notizie house organ broke the news of the creation of a new Pirelli plant in Brașov. The unit started operations in late 1975 and became “the heart of the modern rubber industry in Romania”. This was the first step towards what was to come later: a far greater eastward expansion of the group’s activities.
26 October 2006 was a historic date in terms of Pirelli’s operations in Romania. This was the day when the Slatina plant was inaugurated. It was the most modern factory of its kind in the world, with the sole exception of the robotic MIRS plants, also by Pirelli. The Pirelli facility in Slatina extends across 500,000 square metres and is destined to produce 4.5 million high-performance tyres per year. All in keeping with the Pirelli approach: a great focus on efficiency but also on people, who will be integrated into the context and culture of one of the most advanced industrial and technological concerns in the sector. The strategic importance of Romania for Pirelli is clear to see, particularly in the Slatina plant. And indeed an extension of the plant was opened in the presence of the Head of Government in 2011. Further work was then carried out between 2013 and 2017. In 2013, Fatti e Notizie explained how the factory employed around 3,500 people, and the number was set to rise to 4,000 in 2017.
But what is Romania for Pirelli? Romania is a production and logistics platform but also a research laboratory, where new production solutions are tested. Indeed, the design of the Slatina plant became a blueprint for facilities in Mexico and Indonesia. Slatina is a test bed for new technological solutions, but it is also the very heart of Pirelli in one of its most important markets. For this reason, other industrial activities have been developed alongside manufacturing over the years, making it a platform for logistics, IT and commercial services to assist expansion towards Eastern countries.
But there is more, for during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Pirelli combined its industrial presence in Romania with various research partnerships, with the universities of Bucharest and Craiova, and it also promoted many social and cultural activities. These include work to spread Italian culture in Slatina, providing support for partnerships between Milan’s Niguarda Hospital and the hospital in Slatina, as well as the Inter Campus initiative with FC Internazionale Milano, dedicated to the city’s children. And, of course, there is the environment: an issue addressed from many points of view. As well as taking care of the environmental impacts of every stage of the production cycle, Pirelli also works on numerous initiatives for the local community in Slatina. These include “Fii orasul reciclarii”, a competition supported by Pirelli, which rewards the best “Recycling City” in Romania. Every year, the company also promotes training projects for citizens on the issue of separate waste collection.
Over the years, Pirelli’s presence in Romania has become synonymous with manufacturing excellence, and a model of the business and work culture that the Long P helps extend throughout the world.
Pirelli’s presence in Romania is one of great commitment to high-end manufacturing and environmental sustainability, and a close focus on people. It all started when a plant was set up to manufacture V-belts, but it continued with the creation of one of the world’s most important and advanced tyre manufacturing facilities. “New Pirelli Factory in Romania” was the title with which, in its issue no. 5 of 1974, the Fatti e Notizie house organ broke the news of the creation of a new Pirelli plant in Brașov. The unit started operations in late 1975 and became “the heart of the modern rubber industry in Romania”. This was the first step towards what was to come later: a far greater eastward expansion of the group’s activities.
26 October 2006 was a historic date in terms of Pirelli’s operations in Romania. This was the day when the Slatina plant was inaugurated. It was the most modern factory of its kind in the world, with the sole exception of the robotic MIRS plants, also by Pirelli. The Pirelli facility in Slatina extends across 500,000 square metres and is destined to produce 4.5 million high-performance tyres per year. All in keeping with the Pirelli approach: a great focus on efficiency but also on people, who will be integrated into the context and culture of one of the most advanced industrial and technological concerns in the sector. The strategic importance of Romania for Pirelli is clear to see, particularly in the Slatina plant. And indeed an extension of the plant was opened in the presence of the Head of Government in 2011. Further work was then carried out between 2013 and 2017. In 2013, Fatti e Notizie explained how the factory employed around 3,500 people, and the number was set to rise to 4,000 in 2017.
But what is Romania for Pirelli? Romania is a production and logistics platform but also a research laboratory, where new production solutions are tested. Indeed, the design of the Slatina plant became a blueprint for facilities in Mexico and Indonesia. Slatina is a test bed for new technological solutions, but it is also the very heart of Pirelli in one of its most important markets. For this reason, other industrial activities have been developed alongside manufacturing over the years, making it a platform for logistics, IT and commercial services to assist expansion towards Eastern countries.
But there is more, for during the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Pirelli combined its industrial presence in Romania with various research partnerships, with the universities of Bucharest and Craiova, and it also promoted many social and cultural activities. These include work to spread Italian culture in Slatina, providing support for partnerships between Milan’s Niguarda Hospital and the hospital in Slatina, as well as the Inter Campus initiative with FC Internazionale Milano, dedicated to the city’s children. And, of course, there is the environment: an issue addressed from many points of view. As well as taking care of the environmental impacts of every stage of the production cycle, Pirelli also works on numerous initiatives for the local community in Slatina. These include “Fii orasul reciclarii”, a competition supported by Pirelli, which rewards the best “Recycling City” in Romania. Every year, the company also promotes training projects for citizens on the issue of separate waste collection.
Over the years, Pirelli’s presence in Romania has become synonymous with manufacturing excellence, and a model of the business and work culture that the Long P helps extend throughout the world.
