MIRS Upgrade to Expand Pirelli NA Capacity by 20%

Pirelli has announced a US$15 million investment that will increase manufacturing capacity by 20 per cent at its Pirelli Tire North America MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) factory in Rome, Georgia. The announcement was made at Pirelli’s world headquarters in Milan during Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s economic development mission to Europe.

The factory in Georgia produces high performance and SUV tyres for the North American and export markets, and the decision to increase performance tyre production at the site is, says Pirelli, part of the company’s North American growth strategy, which it commenced at the start of the decade. Over the past three years Pirelli has experienced a 30 per cent sales increase in the North American market, and the manufacturer now supplies its UHP tyres to US sports models, including the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, as well as Mercedes and BMW transplant models.

The investment will increase the number of MIRS production lines from four to five. The MIRS system, inaugurated in 2000, is a highly automated system allowing for a flexible and rapid response to market demand, making efficient operations possible even in markets where labour costs are high. Robots manage the entire production cycle without interruption and without the need to move semi-finished products. There is no requirement for intermediate warehousing phases, a factor that maximises energy efficiency during the manufacturing process. Integrated software coordinates all steps of production starting with product design, thus cutting costs and production time.