Pirelli hires 350 individuals for Slatina-based tyre factory

Italian-based Pirelli group, which owns two production facilities in Romania, will hire 350 individuals for its Slatina-based tyre factory by the end of the year, taking the total number of staff to 1,000. “Pirelli Tyres Romania has employed a staff of 647 since the beginning of the year and expects the total number of employees to reach approximately 1,000 by January,” stated Enrico Malerba, CEO of Pirelli Romania. In Romania, Pirelli owns a high-end tyre factory and a metallic cord factory in Slatina, and has started to construct a third facility in Gorj county, which will make filters for diesel engines. Company officials say that the Slatina-based Pirelli industrial complex (including Pirelli Tyre and Cord) has created 1,400 jobs, and the new facility will generate a further 400 jobs when the first module is completed in 2008. The individuals working at Pirelli’s factories are recruited locally, but there are also up to 40 expats at any time, from branches in Turkey, Germany and Italy. Most technicians and engineers are recruited from technical universities, as the company operates a development programme with local universities. Overall, tyre manufacturers in Romania employ more than 9,000 individuals, with the local branches of Michelin and Continental employing more than 4,000 individuals each.