Pirelli earns engineering technology award from Frost & Sullivan

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Jan. 3)—Pirelli Tire North America earned the 2001 Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Technology Innovation Award for its Modular Integrated Robotized System manufacturing technology. The market information firm bestowed the award on Pirelli for being the first tire maker to set up an "e-factory" with its entire business cycle managed online for reduced labor and production costs and times. Bringing MIRS to North America should encourage other tire makers to follow Pirelli's lead, said Alred Ortiz, an industry research analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "As the sole owner of MIRS technology, Pirelli has demonstrated they are on the forefront of tire manufacturing worldwide," he said.