Pirelli has approved an approximately €1 billion expansion of its Rome, Georgia, operation, committing substantial new manufacturing capacity to a US market it says accounts for around 40% of global High Value tyre volumes. The multi-year project will take annual capacity to about six million car tyres by 2033, while adding advanced automation and Cyber Tyre production.
Pirelli will begin the expansion in 2027 as part of a plan worth around €1 billion, or $1.2 billion, which is expected to create approximately 1,000 new jobs in Georgia.
The investment significantly increases Pirelli’s manufacturing commitment to a market it describes as the world’s largest for High Value tyres, accounting for approximately 40% of global volumes. The company has operated in Georgia since 2002.
Production will be expanded in two stages.
The first will increase output using the latest evolution of Pirelli’s MIRS, or Modular Integrated Robotized System. Capacity from the robotised manufacturing operation will begin increasing progressively from 2028 and ultimately reach around three million tyres per year.
Pirelli will then add a fully automated conventional production facility dedicated to premium products, providing another three million tyres of annual capacity at full operation. Together, the two stages are expected to take the Rome plant to approximately six million car tyres a year by 2033.
The phased structure is significant because Pirelli intends to bring the additional capacity on stream progressively as demand develops rather than adding the entire six million tyres at once. The company says High Value production requires specialised manufacturing processes, management of relatively small batches across a broad product mix and integration of proprietary technologies.
That helps explain the combination of modular MIRS production and a new automated conventional plant. It also gives Pirelli scope to increase US capacity over several years while aligning investment with market demand.
The scale and location of the project are particularly notable. Pirelli is committing long-duration manufacturing capital within the market it identifies as accounting for about two-fifths of global High Value tyre volumes, while increasing the proportion of demand it can serve through local production.
Pirelli explicitly links the expansion to its “local-for-local” strategy and says greater US production will also strengthen supply chain resilience.
Cyber Tyre technology will form part of the expanded operation. Pirelli said governance changes introduced under Italy’s 2026 Golden Power Decree enabled it to obtain authorisation from the US Bureau of Industry and Security to market the Cyber Tyre system in the United States.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development said Pirelli currently employs 234 people in the state across manufacturing, innovation and headquarters operations. The bulk of the new recruitment is expected to begin in 2029, when the second phase of the project requires more workers, with the expanded facility scheduled to reach full operation in 2033.
The investment was approved by a majority of Pirelli’s board rather than unanimously. Directors Zhang Haitao, Xi Xiaohong and Wang Kun voted against the plan. Pirelli’s announcement did not give reasons for their opposition.
Pirelli said the programme would not affect its 2026 financial targets and expects its capex-to-revenue ratio across 2027 to 2033 to remain broadly consistent with previous periods while preserving group cash generation.
Tags: Pirelli, US tyre manufacturing, Georgia tyre plant, High Value tyres, Cyber Tyre, MIRS, tyre factory investment, local tyre production, car tyre manufacturing, US tyre market
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