(Jun 1) Yesterday Pirelli inaugurated a new factory in Mexico, in Silao, in the state of Guanajuato. The inauguration saw the participation of Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, and the Chairman and CEO of Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera, together with the Governor of the State of Guanajuato, Héctor López Santillana, Mexico’s Minister for the Economy, Bruno Ferrari, the Mayor of Silao, Juan Tovar Torres, the Director General of ProMéxico, Carlos Guzmán, and Italy’s Ambassador to Mexico, Roberto Spinelli. The new plant, Pirelli’s first in Mexico and the 22nd tire plant worldwide, is mainly focused on the Premium segment, producing High Performance and Ultra-High Performance tires for cars, and SUVs for the local and all Nafta area markets. The factory covers an area of 135,000 square meters and its capacity will reach 400,000 pieces by the end of this year, rising to 3.5 million in the first phase of development which ends in 2015. When fully operational in 2017, production is expected to be 5.5 million pieces. Pirelli Chairman and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera said: “The opening of the new factory in Mexico represents an important step in our international development plan. This is a country that offers excellent opportunities both because of the positive dynamic of local demand and its strategic position, making it an ideal industrial base to serve the entire Nafta area, which we think one of the most promising for the success of our Premium strategy.” (9colonne)
