MILAN (BRAIN) — Pirelli has begun making its high-end P Zero Race road and mountain bike tires at its factory in Bollate, Italy. The factory, first opened in 1962, was recently modernized to accommodate production of the brand's high-end models.
Production began this month; the tires from the factory feature a "Made in Italy" label.
The factory will have capacity to make about 1.5 million tires per year when it is fully operational. Currently it employs about 200 workers. The P Zero tires were previously made in France.
"The Bollate factory will be manufacturing both tires for amateurs and tires for the athletes of some of the cycling teams of the highest UCI category, including Trek-Segafredo, UAE Team Emirates, AG2R CitroÎn, and MTB teams such as Wilier Triestina-Pirelli and Canyon CLLCTV-Pirelli, all already Pirelli partners who play an active role in developing the Pirelli tires," the company said.
The company said the plant benefits from its proximity to the Pirelli headquarters and R&D center in Milan.
"The Bollate factory is truly unique in this sector and innovation is present at all levels: not only in process automation, which guarantees extremely high-quality reliability and geometrical precision to the product — which is an even more important factor when it comes to a bike tire, given its small size and light weight — but also, for example, when it comes to semi-finished products," the company said.
Pirelli said it has a "unique extrusion system" at the plant that allows the tire to offer consistent straightness and weight.
The factory was updated with a complete restyling that integrates with its urban setting. The complete renovation will be completed in early 2023.
"We are very satisfied with the new look and function of the Bollate factory, thus bringing back to Italy part of the production of cycling tires, even more so this year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the company," said Andrea Casaluci, the general manager of operations at Pirelli.
"To us, bicycles have a great historical and symbolic value: bike tires were the very first tires Pirelli ever produced and today we are bringing back this part of our business to just a few kilometers from our headquarters. Moreover, the Bollate project enables us to add value to the local territory, with measures aimed at turning Bollate into a modern and sustainable plant, and its surrounding environment along with it," Casaluci said.
