ROME, Ga.—Pirelli Tire North America Inc. has restarted production at its passenger tire plant in Rome, ending a five-week hiatus that the company instituted as part of its effort to protect the health and safety of its workers amid the spread of the coronavirus.
The first workers were allowed back in at the end of last week, a Pirelli spokesperson said, to get the plant ready for manufacturing operations. The plant is operating at about 60 percent of capacity, with plans to ramp up steadily as demand rebounds.
The spokesperson stressed that the 18-year-old factory has been cleaned thoroughly, and the company is following all health and safety protocols put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the ramp-up period.
Pirelli's decision follows Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's lifting of COVID-related business restrictions on April 30.
At full capacity, the plant employs 300 and is rated at 400,000 high performance tires yearly. Pirelli did not say how many have returned to work.
Pirelli started scaling back production at the factory on March 22 in preparation for suspending production completely on March 29.
The spokesperson did not offer an update on Pirelli's pair of plants in Silao, Mexico.