Pirelli's Mexican Plant to Have 5 million UHP/HP Capacity by 2015

Pirelli's new manufacturing facility, which the tyre-maker announced last week, will be located in Silao, Mexico, about 400 kilometers from Mexico City, reports Tire Review. The $210 million plant, which will produce high-performance and ultra high-performance tyres for cars and light trucks, will generate 700 direct and 300 indirect jobs in the local Silao area. The facility will cover an area of 120,000 square meters and will be operational in 2012. Targeted daily production capacity is 10,500 tyres with an annual capacity of 3.5 million units in 2014 increasing to approximately 5 million units by 2015.

The new greenfield project responds to continued and growing demand from the NAFTA region and Latin America. “We are very proud to become members of the Silao community, in Guanajuato,” said Guillermo Kelly, CEO of Pirelli Latin America. “This new facility is important because it complements our production in Latin America. The new factory location is also crucial as it will allow us to better serve both our Mexican customers and the NAFTA region. This is a significant investment for our customers as we will feature the latest technology developed by Pirelli to be able to supply the needs of the continually evolving market.”

The Mexico plant will be Pirelli’s eighth tyre manufacturing facility in Latin America – there currently are five in Brazil, one in Argentina and one in Venezuela. This addition will also join Pirelli’s Rome, Georgia, factory as the second manufacturing site in the NAFTA region.

“This is a strong message to our customers and consumers alike,” said Mauro Pessi, chairman and CEO of Pirelli Tire North America. “We are a brand on the move and this is the type of support we need to continue reaching our goals and adding to our impressive results and relationships.”

The new factory, Pirelli’s 20th worldwide, will be located at the Puerto Interior industrial park in Silao, Guanajuato State.

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