Mario Marangoni Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The TIA has inducted Mario Marangoni into the TIA Hall of Fame. At the beginning of November, during the SEMA show, the TIA made the award in order to recognise the company president’s “leadership and entrepreneurial ability.” As a company, Marangoni sees the award as an achievement that recognises the success of the Italian tyre industry in addition to its international business.

Mario Marangoni’s biography runs parallel to the history of the company he founded and has head for half a century. Mr Marangoni started working at a very young age at his father’s mechanical workshop in Rovereto. In 1953 he founded F.lli Marangoni, which in 1965 gave rise to Marangoni Meccanica, a company established for the purpose of manufacturing tyre retreading equipment and machines. In 1966, F.lli Marangoni became Marangoni Pneumatici SpA, with the aim to manage the development of all aspects of the tyre retreading business on an industrial scale. In the 1970s and 80s, the growth of the company’s business was focused mostly on the European, US and Japanese markets. In 1988, shares in the parent company Marangoni S.p.A. were listed on Milan stock exchange.

The 1990s saw a series of acquisitions in the retreading sector throughout Europe. The retreading materials and technology business area was handled above all by Marangoni Tread S.p.A.; in this sector, leading-edge technology was developed with the design of the exclusive Ringtread system for cold retreading.

Subsequently, with the acquisition of the former CEAT factory in Anagni (1991), the foundations were laid for the company’s entrance into the new tyre business. This activity is now taking an increasingly important role in the group’s operations under the name Marangoni Tyre S.p.A.

At the same time, the technology and the first systems were developed for the thermal processing of used tyres through the cogeneration of electricity and steam. Marangoni responded proactively to the current environmental issues, and the EEC directives, by focusing on three energy generation systems producing power from waste. The service is aimed not only at reducing the environmental impact of used tyres, but also at recovering raw materials and at the same time generating energy.

In the new millenium, two new production facilities were built in order to improve service to the Americas. In 2001 a new structure for the production of precured treads was opened in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), Brazil. Then, in 2004, similar facilities were opened in the USA (Tennessee). Marangoni believes the international nature of the company is demonstrated through its continued development of new production sites, consolidating its international presence.

In recent times the company has reported strong growth, particularly in Europe. According to the company, this has gone hand-in-hand with the company’s specialisation in the high performance segment. Technical and sporting partnerships have been established with the supply of racing tyres to various European teams and car makers active in motor sport, including Osella, Volkswagen and Mazda. The constant research and development work involving the structure of the tyre and the compounds allows Marangoni to test the safety and the performance of its tyres during the races and to increasingly focus its efforts on the ultra high performance sector.