Pirelli was founded in Milan in 1872 and today stands as a global brand known for its cutting edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. With 19 production plants in 12 countries and a commercial presence in over 160, Pirelli has around 31,500 employees and had a turnover in 2018 of about 5.2 billion €. , It is among the world’s major producers of tyres and associated services and the only one focused solely on the Consumer tyre market, which includes tyres for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. Pirelli, a Pure Consumer Tyre Company, has a particular focus on the High Value tyre market and is constantly engaged in the development of innovative products to address the most specific mobility needs of the final Consumer, such as Specialty and Super Specialty tyres.
Within the tyre industry, Pirelli competes with "Tier 1" manufacturers (Nokian, Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental and Goodyear) that have higher than average price positioning, a wide range of products and dedicated regional lines. Among these players, Pirelli stands out because of its exclusive positioning in the Pure Consumer Tyre segment. In the context of High Value tyres, Pirelli is the leader in Prestige tyres, with a market share of over 50% in the Original Equipment channel, and in radial Moto tyres in the Replacement channel. Pirelli is also leader in Europe, China, and Brazil for New Premium 2 replacement car tyres and for Premium 3 motorcycle tyres.
Over the years, Pirelli has concentrated, above all, on the development, production and marketing of tyres with large rim sizes, special technical and aesthetic characteristics and associated with high performance, advanced technology and safety. Recognized by consumers as high value products, the company’s product range consists of innovative tyres for cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, as well as a growing portfolio of tyres for specific applications and customized ones such as Pirelli Cyber Car, the result of the most recent Research and Development activities and technological innovation.
The company’s consumer focus starts at the tyre development stage. For High Value products, this is the result of solid partnerships with the most prestigious car and motorcycle manufacturers. These collaborations allow Pirelli to develop tyres, depending on the model, which are tailor made to satisfy the specific needs of the most sophisticated consumers.
Pirelli’s technological excellence is also nourished by the innovation and competencies derived from sporting competitions, in which it has been active for over 110 years, At present, the company participates in over 460 car and motorcycle sport events and since 2011 it has been the exclusive tyre supplier to the Formula One™ World Championship. Such a strong presence in motorsport enables Pirelli to generate avant-garde solutions that are then transferred tyre ranges for the Consumer market, ensuring the maximum levels of performance and safety.
All of this has grown from a strong commitment to research and development based on an “Open Innovation” model. In 2018, Pirelli’s investment in R&D equaled 6.1% of its revenues from high value products, one of the highest levels among the world’s major tyre producers. Pirelli boasts over 1,900 people engaged in R&D located at its Milan headquarters and 12 local technology centres and a portfolio of 6,500 patents.
To produce the highest-quality products Pirelli insists on operational excellence along its whole value chain, starting with its high-technology plants in the fastest-growing High Value markets and culminating in the engagement of end customers. With 19 factories located in 12 countries Pirelli had a production capacity in 2018 of 75 million car tyres, and around 15,900 points of sale in over 160 countries – an extensive and growing sales network that brings Pirelli ever closer to its customers.
The strength of Pirelli lies in its people, who come from different countries and have a wide variety of different skill sets. This diversity is encouraged by Pirelli, which recognizes the professional excellence of its many specialized individual functions and puts great store in the enhancement of young talent. In order to enable all of its 31,500 employees to reach their full potential, Pirelli is also committed to providing continuous training, promoting cross-functional cooperation, ensuring the exchange of practical and theoretical know-how between countries, and supporting the implementation of the most highly evolved company procedures.
The Pirelli brand is known around the world as an icon of technology and excellence. Represented by the “capital P” logo for more than a century, the Pirelli name stands for a premium, high-end style with an Italian heritage all underlined by its distinctive position as a supplier to luxury car manufacturers. The reputation and strength of the brand are continually reinforced by Pirelli’s involvement in motorsport projects and competitions, design and lifestyle projects and initiatives for the community, art and culture.
In 2018, Pirelli continued to record improvements in the environmental, social and economic areas. Following the annual review of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices by RobecoSAM and S&P Dow Jones, Pirelli was named the 2018 Sustainability Leader in the Automobiles & Components sector of the Dow Jones World and Europe indices, with a total score of 81 points compared with a sector median of 32 points. In January of 2019, the company earned recognition as one of the global leaders in the fight against climate change, gaining a place in the CDP’s Climate A list. The following month, Pirelli became the only company in the Auto Components sector in the world to obtain “Gold Class Company” status in RobecoSAM’s 2019 Sustainability Yearbook.
In the late Fifties and early Sixties, the Cinturato gradually became known as " the safest tyre for the most powerful cars", the one that " defeats centrifugal force" and that guarantees " cornering safety". And later it was also the tyre " for elegant cars". A high-end positioning that was graphically emphasised by the magnificent advertising campaign photographed by Mulas in 1962, in which the tyre was once again paired with the female figure, as in the era of Dudovich. However, Mulas's absorbed and self-possessed girls actually seem to suggest a new key to the reading of the Cinturato product image: no longer was it just about speed and power - male myths - but now also comprised safety and reliability, aspects appealing to the first generations of young female drivers…By no means coincidentally, Mulas's advertising campaign also included the "Sempione Safety Shoulder", the more reliable version of the conventional Sempione cross-ply range. So as to avoid over-emphasising the safety aspect of the Cinturato at the expense of its sporting image, in 1965 Mulas trained his lenses on Juan Manuel Fangio too. "I once raced with the Pirelli Stelvio", said the Argentine World Champion in the advertising copy, "Today I've got the Cinturato on my car.
It's a tyre that's truly different to the others. What's most surprising is the absolute driving precision. Extraordinary". The talented Riccardo Manzi was to return to the safety theme once more the following year for the "Andiamo sul sicuro" or "Let's go for safety" campaign, and he was himself followed by another genius (two geniuses in fact: as Arrigo Castellani was also involved): Pino Tovaglia who emphasised the Cinturato's dual nature with the "Un viaggio ma" or "A trip but" campaign highlighting the close ties between the pleasure of sporting driving and the tranquillity of absolute safety.
Cinturato: The photo gallery shows a range of the most famous Pirelli Cinturato advertisements
It was in the late Sixties that the Cinturato could truly be said to have established itself on the automotive market. Above all, it was by now well-known on an international level: 1968 saw the famous advertising campaign - again conceived by Pino Tovaglia - that explains how in all the various languages of the world "belted" is always and exclusively "Cinturato".
"In Italy too (and in Great Britain, France, Sweden, the United States, Brazil…) as on all the markets where Pirelli produces or exports, the Cinturato has established itself as the safest radial; the Cinturato carcass is embraced by a fabric belt that prevents the deformation of the tyre even at high speeds and allows it to grip the road with the full tread width: the very flexible sidewalls ensure excellent ride comfort. Safe through corners, safe on the straights, safe under braking, safe at speed, safe in the wet."The success the new tyre was enjoying was aptly described by Giulio Cappa in The Future is Radial published in issue No. 5-6, May/June 1968, of the Pirelli Magazine. At the Turin Motor Show of that year, the Pirelli Cinturato range comprised the "H", "HS"
These were the years in which the Cinturato picked up where the Pirelli BS3 had left off in rallying. A fantastic product and an undoubted commercial success, the BS3 with its separated tread merits its own chapter in the history of Pirelli tyres. With the Fiat 124 Sport and then the Fulvia HF 1600 crewed by Munari and Mannucci, the Cinturato imposed itself on roads and track throughout the world.
"In competition the tyre absorbs stresses such as heavy blows against rocks and ridges", recounts Fatti e Notizi in 1972 in an article on the Monte Carlo Rally win. "For a tyre manufacturer the rally is a conclusive test and trial, an analysis of the technological status, a stimulus and a source of useful information and a measure of the validity of its configurations." And, in the end, the art and secrets of the trade are passed on to everyone.
Mr. Bianchi equips his car with MS35 tyres, happily leaves the city - these covers can be used on both asphalt and dry surfaces - ventures out onto mud and snow and coolly copes with sheets of ice. Perhaps he feels a little "Munari."
The Cinturato family was by now polarized around the two CN36 and MS35 codes for Touring and Grand Touring and Mud and Snow uses respectively. Late 1972 also saw the introduction of the CN54 destined to expand the offer of radial tyres to increasingly broader markets, while the SR and HR speed codes were introduced for speeds of up to 180 and 210 kph respectively.
Just one more step had to be taken: the reduction of the traditional ratio between the height and width of the tyre section that until then had been equal to 80%.
It was in 1974 that Pirelli introduced a new Cinturato: the CN54 "Serie 70" with a sidewall height that was now just 70% of the tread width.
"With this tyre you cover more kilometres, consume less and travel happily thanks to its comfort and roadholding", explained the in-house magazine in 1974. From the technical point of view this reconfiguration has taken into consideration, among other factors, the fact that grip depends largely on the size of the contact area between tread and ground."
The road towards the "low profile" tyre started here and was soon to lead to the Pirelli P7.
Pirelli constantly challenge the boundaries of technology, style and sustainability, setting trends across the world.
40 years of experience in the Premium segment for a global leadership in product technology
Pirelli: more than a century of brand history. In 1908, Pirelli adopted the elongated P logo which came to identify the company worldwide, from then on consolidating the brand's identity.
Pirelli is synonymous with innovative communication. For Pirelli, communication is all about seeking new ways and new platforms to transmit a philosophy. Without ever forgetting its history and tradition.
Sporting victories have confirmed the enduring success of the Pirelli brand: the 1907 Peking-Paris was a key opportunity for reputation building
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