Both of Pirelli’s headquarters and main research and development center are based in Milan, Italy. However, its manufacturing facilities actually span across a total of 12 countries (yes, including Italy). Its longest-running plant, which also happens to be one of the company’s first international factories, is located in Burton-on-Trent, England. It initially made car rubber tires and rubber footwear, but it’s now known for handling semi-finished products. Three other old Pirelli sites established back in 1951, 1960, and 1968, respectively, are in Merlo, Argentina; Izmit, Turkey; and Carlisle, England. All three develop vehicle tires.

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On top of these pioneer factories, the company runs multiple other facilities in nine countries. Its locations in Kirov and Voronezh in Russia, Feira de Santana in Brazil, Jiaozuo and Shenzhou in China, Silao in Mexico, Slatina in Romania, and Settimo Milanese in Italy all focus solely on car tire manufacturing. There are four sites that produce tires for motorcycles: Breuberg, Germany; Yanzhou, China; Campinas, Brazil; and Subang, Indonesia. Meanwhile, the Bollate, Italy plant is Pirelli’s only facility for cycling tires.

In the U.S., Pirelli has a single site in Rome, Georgia. It also manufactures car and SUV tires but serves major brands like Cadillac, BMW, and Mercedes Benz. Interestingly, this same Rome plant was where the first FSC-certified tires in the world were created. This means the natural rubber used in the tire follows the Forest Stewardship Council’s standards regarding responsible and beneficial forestry. Together, these 18 plants generate 74 million car tires a year that then go out to more than 160 countries. Such a massive figure makes Pirelli one of the top tire brands.

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Since its establishment in 1872, Pirelli has undergone a diverse ownership structure. It was founded by an Italian industrial engineer named Giovanni Battista Pirelli, who then ran the first plant in Milan, Italy. Initially, the company produced various rubber items like belts, mats, raincoats, toys, and even telegraph cables. Then, in the 1890s, it began engineering cycling tires and then motorcycle tires, before finally releasing car tires in 1901.

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After the passing of Battista Pirelli in 1932, the company’s management was handed down to his two sons and, later, grandson. It was only in the 1990s that Battista Pirelli’s grandson turned the company over to Marco Tronchetti Provera, who joined Pirelli in 1986. To grow to the giant it is today, though, Pirelli secured several acquisitions. It bought Veith Gummiwerke, a German tire company in 1963; Metzeler, one of the major motorcycle tire manufacturers in 1986; Armstrong Tire Company, a tire manufacturer based in the U.S. in 1988; and Alexandria Tire Company, a truck and bus tire maker from Egypt in 1999.

Today, Pirelli is owned by multiple shareholders. As of January 2025, its primary investor at a 37% stake is Sinochem Holdings, a multi-industry enterprise owned by the Chinese government. Over 31% of Pirelli stocks is held by institutional investors, 5% by retail investors, and the remaining 26.4% by Camfin, a historic holding company based in Milan, Italy that Marco Tronchetti Provera runs. Tronchetti Provera now serves as the company’s Executive Vice Chairman, after he was succeeded as CEO by Andrea Casaluci in 2023.

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