News & Events


2008
Jul - Dec		 2008
Jan - Jun
2007


26th November 2008 - The Swiss prefer Pirelli tyres: Pirelli is the best brand of the year. So say the readers of the prestigious magazine Auto Illustrierte

For the third consecutive year, Pirelli has won the competitive survey most loved by the readers of Auto Illustrierte, the prestigious independent motoring magazine of Switzerland. In the section Best Tuning Cars & Best Brands 2008, over 2,400 readers taking part in the initiative voted for Pirelli as the 'Best Brand' in the tyre category.
The Best Brand survey has become an important institution for the magazine, especially among tuning enthusiasts.
The presentation of the Best Tuning Cars & Best Brands 2008 awards conferred on the winners by AI readers took place on 13 November in Basle, its regular venue, during the most important and most visited motor exhibition of German-speaking Switzerland, the Auto Zürich Car Show.
Dieter Jermann, Director Swiss Market Pirelli Tyre (Europe) SA, accepted the Best Brand Award 2008 in person.

18th November 2008 - Inter Campus Rumania kicks off: forty children involved in this first phase of the project. The educators of "New Community" have also started their work

Training has begun at Slatina under the Inter Campus Rumania project, the soccer school of F.C. Internazionale run in collaboration with Pirelli Tyres Rumania, which aims at the social integration of the participant boys of between eight and 14 years-old through the activity and values of the sport.
Between 6 and 10 October, two Inter Campus coaches, Alessio Cacciato and Roberto Picardi, organised the two groups of 40 children, who will train every two weeks at the Slatina Sports High School. The youngsters come from socially troubled environments and include Romany children, those who live in orphanages or come from poor families in the town. Among them are also the sons of Pirelli employees.
Training has also begun of two selected local coaches, Catalin Zlatea and Viorel Calostescu, who will follow the two groups of children and another of older students from the Sports High School. The coaches will initially have the function of interns, but in the future they could represent a valid resource with a view to enlarging the project.
At the same time, the local educators, Constantina Patrascu and Ionut Oporanu, who were selected by New Community - the organisation specialised in projects of cultural mediation and social integration, who are involved in the project - are already following the groups of children on a daily basis, paying particular attention to relations between them and working to encourage their integration.
From the inauguration of the first factory in July 2005 until today, Inter Campus Rumania is one of the programmes wanted by Pirelli Tyres Rumania for the well-being of the community of Oltenia. This is the province of Rumania in which there are two tyre factories and where Pirelli intends to create an improvement in the quality of life, in line with it's principals of corporate social responsibility that distinguishes it's operations throughout the world.

November 14th, 2008 - Pirelli promotes quality, the key to success
Participation in the 20th National Campaign for Quality: objective, awareness

Quality, like paying attention to the customer, innovation and competitiveness, added value that permits the elimination of waste and improvement in productivity. The strategic fulcrum for the construction of success. This is the theme of the 20th National Campaign for Quality, which this year can also count on the participation of Pirelli.
The initiative, launched way back in 1989 by three great quality associations operating in Japan, the U.S.A. and Europe, has become a national recurrence that has as its objective the promotion of the strategic role of quality in the Italian national system. In addition, in 1995 the National Campaign for Quality became part of an entire European Quality Week launched by the European Union, inviting member states to hold a series of promotional initiatives during the month of November to spread the theme of quality.

On the occasion of this campaign, backed by the patronage of the President of the Italian Republic and key ministers, an advertising announcement will be published in the country's leading daily newspapers and a series of interesting conventions will be organised in various Italian cities to emphasise the importance of quality and the development of a new culture on the subject.

November 13th, 2008 - First 'Chinese Suppliers' Conference organised by Pirelli: focus on Sustainability for two hundred suppliers at Yanzhou

On 6 November, the 'First Chinese Suppliers' Conference' took place at Yanzhou, Shandong, China. About 200 companies were involved: producers of raw materials, replacement parts, services and industrial goods, both local companies and major multi-national groups comprising a total of over 400 delegates.
Objective: to make Pirelli Tyre known in China, involve the producers of goods for the Pirelli company's normal use, to share questions, solutions, methods and strategies with a view to development. Purchasing (organization and strategies), Research and Development and Quality of Supply were the principal subjects discussed by the speakers, all of whom belonged to both the Pirelli local and sector structures of all three functions.
Particular emphasis was laid on CSR subjects. The participants received a copy of the Pirelli CSR Code of Conduct to sign as well as the Group's Ethical Code in both the Chinese and English languages to understand the Pirelli CSR policy, which is not always respected in all countries of the world.
The conference concluded with a visit to the Pirelli tyre factory.

28th October 2008- Mr Gori speaks on road safety: "A tyre awareness campaign and road safety checks are necessary. And technology must play its part"

Francesco Gori, Managing Director of Pirelli Tyre and President of the 'European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association, has been speaking on the subject of road safety in an interview in Quotidiano Nazionale, the national newspaper that unites the Nazione, the Carlino and Il Giorno, published on Saturday 25 October.
Noting that there is little culture concerning their products' correct use and maintenance, the association of Italian tyre manufacturers, Assogomma, and the dealers of Federpneus have been working for years to direct attention to these fundamental components in an effort to improve road safety. It has been established that, in Italy, about half the cars travel with under-inflated tyres, 12% with obvious damage to their tyres and 2.3% with tyres that do not conform to the description in their registration books.
"Travelling with tyres inflated to an incorrect pressure means notably lowering safety, increasing fuel consumption and reducing the life of the tyre", underlined Mr. Gori, who added, "As well as the right controls for alcohol and drugs, a tyre campaign of that type is necessary, especially with winter just around the corner."
Technology is also making progress in that sense.
"Pirelli has already tested collector of data inserted inside the tyre that will, in the future, provide essential driving information. The driver will be informed not only of the life and condition of the tyres, but also of the condition of the asphalt and the vital parts of the car in direct contact with the tyre", Mr. Gori said.
Pirelli devoted its summer promotion, Tyrelife, to road safety and that will continue until 31 December. In addition, its advertising campaign for Winter Sottozero, the new winter tyre that brings together safety and performance on snow-covered surfaces.

13th October 2008 - "Are you driving safely?" Access ETRMA Quiz for Drivers!
In occasion of the 2nd  European Road Safety Day, ETRMA (European Tyre and Rubber Manifacturers'Association) has launched a European-wide Safe Driving Campaign as part of its commitment to the European Road Safety Charter. An educational quiz that anyone can enjoy, . The quiz is an occasion for drivers to test whether they are fully aware of the "Golden Safety Rules" that shall be applied by any driver:

Take few minutes to reply to15 Questions: the best drivers will be awarded!!
Access the Safely Driving QUIZ
About ETRMA www.etrma.org





7th October 2008  -  Brussels:  ETRMA' Board of Directors re-elects Dr Francesco Gori  as President of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers' Association for a three-years term mandate from 2009 to 2011.
Francesco Gori, CEO and managing director of Pirelli Tyre, was re-elected to another threeyear term as president of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers' Association. ETRMA also elected Patrick Lepercq, Groupe Michelin vice president of public affairs, as vice president.

"Environmental protection, road safety and increased competitiveness are the priorities of the association," said Dr Gori. "The decision for continuity emphasizes the association's determination to strengthen the commitment of our industry to the key themes we focused on in the previous mandate, with good results. We foresee important challenges such as the evolution of markets and of the European regulatory scenario, which will transform our industry in coming years. In this scenario, ETRMA plans to make a fundamental contribution to positive growth of the European mobility industry."

ETRMArepresents the tyre and rubber manufacturing industry at the European Union institutions and other international organisations in initiatives aimed at road safety, environmental protection and competitiveness
For in-depth information, visit www.etrma.org





24/09/2008 - 'Food and Water Life': conference begins in Venice. From 24 until 27 September, the fourth World Conference on the Future of Science, organised by the Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation.
'Food and Water Life' is the title of the fourth World Conference on the Future of Science, organised by the Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation, the Umberto Veronesi Foundation and the Giorgio Cini Foundation, which began in Venice yesterday and is scheduled to end on 27 September.
Three days and about 50 scientists from the entire planet, to offer a global view on subjects of great relevance, such as the scarcity of water, the development of sustainable agriculture, food and health, progress relative to the development of science and technology and their financial, political and ethical implications.
The conference was opened by Giovanni Bazoli, President of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, Marco Tronchetti Provera, President of the Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation, who hypothesised an international plan for the better use of resources, and Umberto Veronesi, President of the conference, who started by denouncing the scarcity of food and water in the world, which was 'the result of the law of the stronger'.
There were also contributions from Shirin Edadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Peace, Rita Levi Montalcini, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1986, Letizia Moratti, President of the Coordinating Committee of Expo 2015 and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia.
For in-depth information, visit site www.thefutureofscience.org




24/09/2008 - Motorists recommend Pirelli: Customer satisfaction with Pirelli original equipment increases, 22 points above average.
More than 22 points above the sector average. That is the result attained by Pirelli in the 2008 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study, the annual survey of motorists and their original equipment covers during a vehicle's first two years of its life. Carried out by the Californian institute J.D. Power and Associates, the survey assigns an award for each of the four categories examined: Luxury/Sport Vehicles, Mass Market/Non-Luxury Vehicles, Pick-up/Full Size Van Vehicles and SUV Vehicles. The satisfaction in relation to OE is measured on the basis of five fundamental factors: wear, traction, design, driving pleasure and handling. The survey involved 14 manufacturers, Michelin, Goodyear, Continental, Bridgestone, B.F. Goodrich, Firestone, Dunlop, Hankook, Yokohama, Kumho, Toyo, General, Uniroyal and, obviously, Pirelli. Both Pirelli and Michelin obtained the highest points. Compared to the previous year, Pirelli increased its score by 34 points, even overtaking Michelin which, despite the fact that it won the award, increased its index of satisfaction by 13 points on its 2007 score. The satisfaction of the customer is a leading element in the re-purchase of the same brand when replacing the original equipment tyres, as is the case when recommending the manufacturer's product to friends and family. In this area, too, Pirelli scored 38% while the sector average was 32%.
23/09/2008 - Pirelli promoted with full marks in human rights and the environment in the latest CSR analysis by VIGEO
The news was put out by PLUS24 - Il Sole 24 Ore, the Italian financial daily, of Saturday 20 September: in the survey conducted by Vigeo, the authoritative European company of extra-financial analyses specialised in the evaluation of company performance in sustainability and social responsibility on the subject of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), Pirelli distinguishes itself in its sector of reference for policies and practices. In particular, in the categories 'human rights', 'the environment' and 'clients and suppliers', considered by the Vigeo method the areas of the greatest risk/opportunity in which Pirelli attained the highest possible marks, in the case of 'human rights': marks that were considerably superior to the sector's average, a recognition of the multinational commitment by the company, respectful of the local communities and their cultures. Vigeo also rewarded Pirelli in 'the environment' with a high evaluation, in line with the environmental management systems diffused throughout the Group. There was also appreciation of the company's equal opportunity policies, product safety and transparency concerning the payment of members of its board of directors. And, finally, there was also a brilliant evaluation for 'corporate governance', in which just over half the directors are independent.
19/09/2008 - Pirelli with FAI for Italy, art, territory, nature
Pirelli renews its support for the non-profit making association FAI (Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano), committed to safeguarding the Italian artistic patrimony
'Italian palaces. Art, history, power' is the title of a new course in art and the history of art that starts in Milan and Rome at the end of September, organised by FAI, the principal Italian non-profit making foundation for the protection, safeguard and care of the country's artistic and naturalistic patrimony.
The course covers the history of Italy through a chronological and geographic survey of artistic and cultural matters linked to the celebrated national palaces. This is the theme of a bi-annual course of 30 lessons to discover the courts, the buildings, the ducal and royal palaces of Italy, starting with art, to study how life within and around these centres of power was organised, which constructed over time the detailed history of Italy.

To know more:
www.fondoambiente.it




15/09/2008 - Pirelli confimed in the Financial Times ethical indices
The latest six-monthly review of the FTSE4Good indices performed by EIRIS - Ethical Investment Research Services - has been successfully passed.
15/09/2008 - Ecological? Safe! The Cinturato P6 No. 1 in France
Pirelli wins the "green tyre" safety test conducted by the French weekly L'Auto-Journal
Can "green" tyres shine in terms of safety too?
This was the question that lay behind the test organized by the French magazine "L'Auto-Journal" and published in the 11 September issue, comparing four market-leading products - Pirelli's Cinturato P6, Continental's PremiumContatc2, Michelin's Energy Saver and Goodyear's DuraGrip - with Bridgestone's Turanza ER300 launched in 2004 taken as a reference tyre. The test was conducted on the tracks at the well-known Research and Testing Centre at Mortefontaine (Ceram), firstly in dry and then in wet conditions. The four tyres, all in the 1958/65R15 size and fitted to a three-door Peugeot 308 Hdi 90 hp Confort with a full tank and one person aboard, were judged on the basis of stopping times from speeds within the maximum limits set by the highway codes: the 50 kph typical of built-up areas, 90 kph on the open road, 130 kph on motorways and 110 kph on motorways in the wet.
Pirelli's Cinturato P6 led the field with 22 points ahead of the Continental PremiumContact2 with 19 points, the Michelin Energy Saver with 13 and the Goodyear DuraGrip with 6.
09/09/2008 - Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes: Pirelli 2008/2009 world leader in the Autoparts and Tyres Sector
SAM Group keeps the company in the DOW JONES WORLD and EUROPEAN STOXX indexes and for the second year in a row, Pirelli has been found to be the world leader in the Autoparts and Tyres industry segment.
Only four companies in the Autoparts and Tyre segment (the same four from previous years) are included in the WORLD index: Pirelli, Denso Corp., Johnson Control Inc., and Michelin. Of these, only two are also included in the STOXX index:  Pirelli and Michelin.  Pirelli's overall score puts the company in first place in both the DJSI World and DJSI EURO STOXX indexes.
09/09/2008 - Pirelli in the hospital ward: Pirelli's commitment to the Slatina community continues.
Third delegation of doctors in Milan on 4 October. 40,000 euros of instrumentation for the Romanian hospital.
Some 40,000 euros have been earmarked to provide the city's hospital with the instrumentation it needs in order to apply the treatment and surgical techniques Romanian doctors and nurses learnt during their training at the Niguarda Hospital in Milan. This month, a sonograph, a base set of surgical equipment, an electrocardiograph, and other essential instruments are scheduled to be delivered to the Romanian hospital this month.
From March through June, 22 Romanian healthcare workers came to Milan to work along side the staff at Niguarda as part of the partnership between the hospitals in Milan and Slatina that began last December and which is being funded by Pirelli. Training begins again on 4 October with the arrival of the third delegation of doctors and nurses from Romania for two weeks of training in the Emergency Room, Emergency Surgery, and Intensive Care units of the Milan hospital.
The experience gained in recent months has led to a doubling of the training period for the Romanian medical professionals in Italy in order to make the most of their interaction with the staff in Milan. The participants (one doctor and one nurse for each area) will then train their other Romanian colleagues.
08/09/2008 - Energy efficiency: Nobel winner  Amory Lovins at the convention organised by the Kyoto Club with the participation of Pirelli
Amory Lovins, the world famous energy expert and founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, will be in Milan on 11 September to participate in a convention organised by the Kyoto Club entitled 'Energy efficiency, the master road'. He will illustrate the results it is possible to achieve with an incisive policy for the efficiency of energy, in particular in today's context with the high energy prices and the necessity to quickly respond to the rapid climate changes.
Also speaking at the convention, hosted by the Milan Municipality at the Centro Congressi Fast in Piazziale Morandi 2, will include the Councillor for the Environment of the Milan City Council Edoardo Croci and, at a round table, the representatives of five large companies that operate in Italy, among them Pirelli. Also attending will be the president of FAST (Federazione delle Associazioni Scientifiche e Tecniche) and of ENEA (Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia, l'Ambiente).
The Convention is part of a programme of initiatives of awareness, information and training in the field of energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy and sustainable mobility promoted by the Kyoto Club to achieve the objectives of reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases that comprise the Kyoto Protocol.
Formed in 1998, the Kyoto Club is a non profit-making organisation constituted of companies, organisations, associations and local administrations committed to the stimulation of proposals and policies of intervention in the energy-environment sectors.
Members include Pirelli Ambiente Renewable Energy, the Pirelli Ambiente company that operates in the sources of renewable energy sector, in particular in the recovery of energy from solid urban refuse through the production of combustible substances of quality derived from urban refuse, developed and patented with contributions from Pirelli Labs and Pirelli Real Estate.

28/07/2008 - From China, tyres 'greener' than ever: A new generation of Pirelli ecological tyres will be born in China, the result of an agreement signed on 21 July in Jinan by the Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation and the University of Shandong.
For a year, the researchers of one of the most renowned seats of learning in China in mathematics and materials science, will work shoulder to shoulder with those of Pirelli. The group will be headed by Professor Zhao Guoqun, dean of the College of Material Science and Technology, in agreement with Maurizio Boiocchi, head of Pirelli R&D, with Alexander Bregantim, responsible for Pirelli Tyre R&D in China.
The objective of the project is to produce tyres with a lower rolling resistance so as to reduce fuel consumption, in synergy with a broader programme of development activity which, in that sense, the Pirelli Group has been working on in Europe for some time. The Italo-Chinese agreement also includes two joint research initiatives aimed at achieving more consistant mixes and the development of a low temperature vulcanising process.

This is a new and important undertaking for the Silvio Tronchetti Provera Foundation, which, since 2001, has actively promoted research in the economy, science and technology sectors and is added to the Foundation's collaboration with other international universities, such as Berkeley in California and Craiova in Rumania.

For Pirelli, this new agreement is further proof of its firm establishment in the province of Shandong where, with an industrial site at Yanzhou that employs about 2,000 people, it is the principal international tyre manufacturer as well as the biggest company present in that Chinese province.

22/07/2008 - The value of CSR to the 'Pirelliani':   the actions undertaken over the last year following the results that emerged from the summer 2007 CSR survey will be made known in a few days with posters by all Group Affiliates

Officially launched a year ago, the project of the diffusion of CSR culture within the Pirelli Group saw in this survey a fundamental instrument for the design and development of initiatives of improvement of aspects of social relevance.

Employees were asked to express their opinions and give suggestions for improvement on a series of "sustainability" subjects which were considered among the more interesting. On the basis of the opinions expressed and the criticism that emerged, each country has developed a plan of action, communicating what has been done and what it is intended to do in coming months.

10/07/2008 - Italian Ministry for the Environment and Pirelli: an Italian product for Beijing buses - Beijing.
The Italian Ministry for the Environment signed an agreement with the Municipality of Beijing to launch a pilot project in the Chinese capital for testing particulate filter technology developed by Pirelli Eco Technology, able to reduce by more than 95% particulate emissions from diesel engines.

The agreement, signed today in Beijing by Shi Hanmin, Director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Beijing and Corrado Clini, Director General of the Italian Ministry for the Environment, in the presence of Marco Tronchetti Provera, Chairman of the Pirelli Group, calls for installation of Pirelli filter systems on heavy duty vehicles (mainly buses, but also trucks and later snowploughs and tractors) used by the local public transportation company. The first filter systems will be installed before the start of the Olympics, and the rest after the Summer.

This project is part of a wider Sino-Italian Collaboration Program for Environmental Protection - begun in 2000 - which has realized more than 80 projects for elaboration and experimentation of advanced technology solutions for sustainable development in China.
07/07/2008 - 2008 Pirelli among the 100 World's Most Respected Companies' according to The Reputation Institute - New York.
Pirelli is among the 100 World's Most Respected Companies' according to the 2008 edition of The Global Pulse Project, edited by The Reputation Institute - New York.  The special ranking takes into account more than a thousand companies from 27 countries according to an index that measures the degree of trust, admiration, esteem and respect from the public. The annual survey interviews more than 30,000 consumers. The topline results of this study are published annually in Forbes.

Last Revised: 26 2008