Pirelli To Invest 114 mln Euro in Mexico plant

Pirelli To Invest 114 mln Euro in Mexico plant

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Silao factory, Pirelli will invest 114-million-euro investment - already envisaged in the 2021-2022 - 2025 industrial plan. 

The construction – planned for the two-year period 2022- 2023 – is aimed at further increasing high value production at the Mexican site. The investment confirms the strategic importance of the plant and will see an increase in production capacity of over one million pieces for a total of 8.5 million tyres by 2025 when fully operational (from 7.2 million at the end of 2022). With an expansion of the production area of 16,000 square meters to over 220,000 and further improvement of the mix, the investment will also create of 400 new jobs for a total of 3,200 employees when fully operational. 

The investment was announced during the visit by the governor of the Mexican state of Guanajuato, Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo, to the Silao factory for the celebration of its tenth anniversary. The ceremony also saw the participation of the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Pirelli, Marco Tronchetti Provera, via video message and was attended by the Ambassador of Italy to Mexico, Luigi De Chiara, the President and CEO of Pirelli North America, Claudio Zanardo and the CEO and General Manager of Pirelli Neumaticos SA Mexico, Paolo Benea.

“The Silao plant has made an important contribution to the success of Pirelli’s global strategy of becoming the leader in the High Value segment. When we chose Silao, and the Guanajuato region, as the location for a new plant 10 years ago, our expectations were very high. Today I am happy to say that we have achieved our goals and that the factory and the people who work there have exceeded our expectations. In fact, the Silao plant is one of the most technologically advanced in the Group and will soon host a new Pirelli R&D Centre. As we have for 10 years, we continue to strongly believe in Silao and its people”, said Marco Tronchetti Provera, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Pirelli.

“Mexico is a strategic area for Pirelli for all its activities in North and Central America and with this investment we will further increase Pirelli’s technological and industrial competitiveness. I wish to thank all the people and the institutions, who over these years have contributed to the growth of the Silao factory”, said Claudio Zanardo, President and CEO of Pirelli North America.

“In Guanajuato we are very proud to have Pirelli in our state, and to celebrate its tenth anniversary of the Silao plant, as well as the 150th anniversary of its foundation worldwide.

The presence of Pirelli in Guanajuato, one of the most advanced companies in innovation and technology, supports our continued advancement from manufacturing to mindfacture.

Pirelli and Guanajuato, share values and a vision of the future, enabling us to build a success story together. Constant investments confirm the strategic importance of this plant and ratifies the confidence that Pirelli has in our state. We are thankful for this commitment which will strengthen our development and generate more jobs for Guanajuato families”, said Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo, the Governor of the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

Located within the Silao “Puerto Interior” industrial hub, in the state of Guanajuato, one of Mexico’s major logistics centers and key economic and technology hubs, Pirelli inaugurated the plant in 2012 to serve the local and North American markets.

In the last ten years, the Silao plant has grown at a remarkable speed, progressing from a capacity of around 1.5 million tyres and a staff of 300 people at the end of 2012 to a capacity of 7.2 million tyres at the end of 2022 and around 2,800 employees. Its production is focused on the High Value segment, producing High Performance and Ultra-High Performance tyres for passenger cars, electric vehicles, SUVs and Light Trucks.

The Mexican plant has always delivered the most innovative Pirelli solutions, like Cyber Tyre, PNCS (Pirelli Noise Cancelling System™), and RFID writing, aimed at tracking tyres to provide product information to the entyre logistics chain. Equipped with the group’s most advanced production processes, in recent years the Mexican factory has implemented the principles of Industry 4.0, in addition to a growing engagement with environmental care, adopting international standards that promote electricity and water savings, and ensure the recycling of waste from the plant.

The commitment announced today brings Pirelli’s investment in the Mexican plant since its foundation to more than 800 million euro and follows the announcement in May 2022 of the creation of the Italian company’s first Research and Development Center in Mexico, which is in addition to the 13 existing centers around the world. Innovation is in fact an essential element of Pirelli’s strategy and the company annually invests around 6% of its revenue from High Value products in R&D and has over 6,700 patents.

 “PIRELLI, THE CULTURE OF INNOVATION”, A BOOK CELEBRATING THE 10th ANNIVERSARY.

To celebrate a milestone as important as the tenth anniversary of its foundation, Pirelli Mexico has published a book entitled “Pirelli, the culture of innovation,” edited by Trilce Ediciones and realised also thanks to the contribution from Fondazione Pirelli and the material housed in the company’s Historical Archives: a way to commemorate the local legacy of a company that in January 2022 marked 150 years of activity with worldwide celebrations. The book retraces the development stages of the Silao plant, its rapid growth, deep roots in the territory and among local communities, and Pirelli’s contribution to the development of the Guanajuato Region.

The celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Silao plant takes on particular importance in a year when Pirelli is commemorating 150 years since its foundation in Milan, where on January 28, 1872, the 23-year-old Giovanni Battista Pirelli founded a rubber factory that would become one of the most innovative and technologically advanced companies in the world. Known for its production excellence and as a lifestyle brand, active in culture, sport and motorsport at the highest levels, Pirelli today has 18 production plants in 12 countries and a commercial reach in over 160 countries.

Sri Trang Agro-Industry Earns 23 CSR-DIW Awards For Sustainable Coexistence

Sri Trang Agro-Industry Earns 23 CSR-DIW Awards For Sustainable Coexistence

Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited has earned a total of 23 CSR-DIW awards, demonstrating its longstanding commitment to operating with ongoing responsibility towards society, local communities and the environment. In 2025, the Department of Industrial Works honoured the company under the CSR DIW to MIND for Sustainability programme, which recognises industrial factories that enhance their social and community responsibility for sustainable coexistence.

Among these accolades, five facilities received the CSR DIW Award for maintaining these high standards continuously for a decade, while another 18 facilities received the CSR DIW Continuous Award for consistently implementing responsible practices, collectively celebrating industrial organisations that serve as models for industry growing in harmony with communities under the principle of good industry coexisting sustainably.

These achievements reflect how the Sri Trang Group balances economic, social and environmental priorities, allowing the industrial sector to work alongside communities effectively and advancing Thailand’s rubber industry towards a sustainable green future. The group has steadily carried out community focused and socially responsible initiatives across six key areas, including youth development, arts and local traditions, livelihood and career support, environmental management, workplace health and hygiene as well as disaster relief and assistance for vulnerable groups.

This recognition further underscores Sri Trang Agro Industry’s role as a leading organisation that drives sustainable industrial practices while consistently creating lasting value for society, communities and the environment.

Bridgestone To Showcase Lunar Rover Tyres At 41st Space Symposium

Bridgestone To Showcase Lunar Rover Tyres At 41st Space Symposium

Bridgestone has announced its participation in the 41st Space Symposium, the largest space conference in United States, taking place in Colorado Springs from 13 to 16 April 2026. The company’s exhibit will be hosted within the Japanese Space Industry pavilion organised by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), marking its third consecutive year at the event since 2024. A key focus of Bridgestone’s presence is its ongoing development of lunar rover tyres, a project that embodies the company’s belief that ‘tyres carry life’.

Since 2019, Bridgestone has advanced research on lunar rover tyres and pursued co-creation with international partners to commercialise space mobility technology. In 2024, the company collaborated with Astrobotic Technology, followed by a basic agreement with ispace in 2025. These efforts aim to generate new value in the rapidly evolving space mobility sector.

At the symposium, Bridgestone will demonstrate tyres for small and medium lunar rovers, first unveiled in 2025, by mounting them on a mobility vehicle. Attendees can see and touch the tyres, experiencing their high traversability on simulated lunar challenges like fine sand and rocky ground. Through this showcase, Bridgestone seeks to expand its space business network and foster co-creation opportunities, ultimately supporting safe lunar mobility and humanity’s exploration goals.

The lunar rover tyre project applies Bridgestone’s AirFree technology, an exploratory business under its 2024–2026 Mid Term Business Plan. By refining this technology in the extreme lunar environment, the company aims to eventually bring those innovations back to Earth, enhancing conventional tyres and contributing to broader social value.

Yokohama To Showcase Aircraft Lavatory Solutions At Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026

Yokohama To Showcase Aircraft Lavatory Solutions At Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. is set to appear at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026 in Hamburg, Germany, collaborating with its American sales arm, Yokohama Aerospace America, Inc. This premier trade fair, running from 14 April over three days at Hamburg Messe, will host over 450 exhibitors from around the globe, all showcasing cutting edge cabin products, materials and technological innovations.

Visitors to the Yokohama booth will encounter a full range of aircraft lavatory solutions, including a prototype unit designed for wheelchair access and retrofit kits intended for existing restrooms. Those kits bring touchless operation to flush switches and faucets, thereby boosting accessibility. By targeting plane makers, airlines and maintenance firms, the company hopes to strengthen sales of its interior offerings.

Yokohama Rubber ranks among Japan's foremost aerospace suppliers. Since the 1980s, it has produced and sold numerous commercial jet components like lightweight composite lavatory modules, potable water tanks, onboard stairways, thermal insulation and honeycomb panels. Having delivered roughly 17,000 lavatory modules for Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft, the firm continues to supply replacement parts for those units and also crafts custom-made components for airline retrofit projects.

Petlas Expands OTR Range With PtxMD51 For Underground Mining

Petlas Expands OTR Range With PtxMD51 For Underground Mining

Petlas Tire Corporation has introduced the PtxMD51, an L-5 type tyre specifically engineered for underground mining loaders and trucks operating under severe service conditions. This new addition expands the company’s off-the-road product range to address the most demanding mining environments.

Built with an extra deep tread and an all-steel radial construction, this tyre excels where wear, impact and cut risks are consistently high. Its specially developed tread compound offers strong resistance to cuts and chips, while the reinforced structure, combining steel belts with a radial steel carcass, delivers high impact resistance under heavy loads and harsh operating conditions. A solid centre structure further boosts durability and resistance.

To maintain stability and traction, shoulder grooves are incorporated into the design, ensuring reliable performance in underground operations. With the PtxMD51, Petlas continues to strengthen its portfolio for high-risk, heavy-duty applications where durability, safety and cost efficiency remain essential priorities.