Today in Venice Prometeon Tyre Group staged the official launch of the PIRELLI-branded Serie 02 range of premium tyres. The Group, headquartered in the Bicocca district of Milan, chose Isola delle Rose, the latest addition to the Lagoon, as the venue for more than 200 customers and the specialist press from 10 countries to learn about both the launch of the Serie 02, on sale since April in the EMEA region, and the group strategies and future vision. It is Prometeon’s first international event in three years and the most important in its history.

General Manager Roberto Righi, Chief Technical Officer Alexandre Bregantim, Head of Marketing Sabina Oriani, Region Europe CEO Francesco Antonacci were in attendance.

Roberto Righi, General Manager of Prometeon Tyre Group said: “Thanks to the results recorded in the last 18 months, the Company is now in a position that allows us to think about development, and investments of the current year, which will significantly increase compared to 2021. Innovation and research, brand reinforcement, commercial partnerships, centrality and sustainability remain the pillars of our strategy. The launch of the new Serie 02 is an important moment for Prometeon: we have developed products for our customers that focus in particular on performance, safety and quality – we are convinced that this is what our customers want.”

2021 not only marked five years since Prometeon’s foundation, but also saw the Company post important improvements in market shares and key economic / financial indicators.

Although facing a very challenging macro-economic scenario, in 2022 the Company is targeting an increase in investments in order to boost both production capacity and efficiency improvement in our production plants and processes, and consolidate the trend in improvement of turnover and margins.

 

INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY: NEW PIRELLI-BRANDED SERIE 02

The Serie 02, the highlight of the event in Venice, represents the most important product launch in the history of the group, as well as the first pillar of Prometeon's strategy. Innovation and sustainability are the key words of the project. A lot of work has been carried out on formulations and manufacturing processes in order to obtain a very balanced product with high safety standards and the best performance in respect of sustainability principles. In fact, in comparison with the previous range, the Serie 02 improves on all aspects: rolling resistance (-18% on average, for the first product lines available), mileage (+10% on average), durability (+20% on average), and wear uniformity (+10% on average). Plus, for the first time, a Prometeon long haul tyre is rated A for fuel consumption: the Profuel line.

To highlight Prometeon's design and production effort and the technological innovations achieved, the "Prometeon Engineered" logo appears on the entire Serie 02 range, as it is the first generation of tyres completely developed in the Group's R&D centres in Italy, Turkey, Brazil and Egypt (in which more than 150 people work in total).

Weight has been optimised, without any compromise in performance, and all products can be regrooved and are retreadable, bringing benefit to the life cycle of the tyres. In addition, they have the 3PMSF winter marking, are equipped with an RFID sensor and are approved by the major European vehicle manufacturers.

The introduction of the Serie 02range leads the group to a forecast growth of 2-3 percentage points in its share of the Premium segment by 2025. Prometeon expects the Serie 02 to replace more than 80% of the previous series in 2024.

Prior to launching Serie 02, Prometeon recorded a market leader position in some markets in the replacement channel: Italy and Turkey with market shares of more than 20% in total and in the Premium segment (Tier 1) in Brazil with a share higher than 15%.

The replacement channel represents approximately 76% of Prometeon total sales. The regional analysis of the replacement channel shows that Europe accounts for 26%, MEA for 29% and SOUTH AMERICA for 38%, while the remaining 7% is distributed between North America and APAC.

 

BRAND: INTERNATIONAL SPONSORSHIPS, TYRE BACK, TESTING

Brand reinforcement is the other pillar of Prometeon's growth strategy. Various initiatives have been undertaken in this area.

 Official Sponsor WorldSBK

In the beginning of April, the Group’s first international sponsorship was announced: the multi-year agreement for Prometeon to be Official Sponsor of WorldSBK, the world championship for production-based motorcycles. Prometeon Tyre Group and WorldSBK share the same values: innovation, technology and pursuit of performance. Prometeon’s brand at the track edges at all 12 championship rounds, which take place in 10 different countries. The sponsorship will give life to a customer experience activity aimed at Prometeon customers, who will be able to experience the paddock and the race in a privileged way

Toprak Razgatlıoğlu

Today, Prometeon announces that it has becomes a sponsor of Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, the reigning Superbike World Champion. Born in 1996, the Turkish pilot won the championship in 2021 after overcoming the challenge of six-time champion and category legend Jonathan Rea. Razgatlıoğlu is one of the best young talents in motorcycling worldwide and will carry Prometeon’s logo on his helmet throughout the championship.

The sponsorship of Razgatlıoğlu is also important for the activities that will involve the Turkish market. Prometeon has an important commercial presence in Turkey, and the group’s largest plant is based there. In the three-year period 2021-23, the plant will benefit from investments of more than 40 million euros for production capacity increase, as well as a research and development centre, inaugurated last September.

 Tyre Back

Other news announced in Venice is Tyre Back. Prometeon is committed to offer 100% Prometeon Quality protection to fleets that purchase Serie 02 tyres: this means for 48 months from the date of production, the fleet will be entitled to a full replacement of the product in case of tyre damage due to structural imperfections.

A unique initiative, Tyre Back is much more than a guarantee: it is a new and exclusive relationship with the customer. When the customer purchases the product and registers online, the group and its dealer will follow and stay with the customer for the entire life of the tyre. The promotion will start in Italy in the summer and will involve all of Europe by the end of 2022.

Commercial test

By the end of May, the first Serie 02 tyres will begin to be delivered to around 90 influential fleets selected by Prometeon to test project the new product via PRO CHECK tools. PRO CHECK is Prometeon’s inspection and monitoring system that is designed to provide reliable and personalised support and to optimise operational efficiency and costs.

The partner fleets will be fitted with Serie 02 tyres and competitors' tyres. Prometeon Quality and Research and Development technicians and experts will monitor their performance in medium and long term.

 

PARTNERSHIP CENTRALITY: SUPERTRUCK AND PRO SERVICES

Another pillar of Prometeon's growth strategy is represented by commercial partnerships with customers, which include the SuperTruck network and PRO Services.

SuperTruck

In 2022, the SuperTruck European dealer network will expand to new countries. SuperTruck started in Italy in 2016 and today there are 40 dealers. It has already expanded to Poland and will roll out as follows throughout this year: Greece (September); Spain (October); Germany and Switzerland (November; and the United Kingdom (December).

SuperTruck combines the vision of Prometeon and its best partners towards the world of truck and bus, guaranteeing the best range of products and services for European fleets. The dealers who join the network guarantee their customers expertise, competence, experience, customised offers and trust.

PRO Services

The SuperTruck network is supported by Prometeon through PRO Services:

Pro Management: Central Billing System that allows fleets to have Prometeon as the only source of invoicing, with support from any dealer in the SuperTruck network, always at the same prices, offers and conditions;

Pro Time: Network of selected European dealers, offering a roadside assistance service in case of tyre breakdown, active 24/7;

Pro Finance: Various Financing Services to support tyre purchases for dealers and their fleet customers, allowing them to defer purchase costs safely;

Pro Check: A platform to support tyre inspections that helps dealers and their customers monitor tyre performance and plan maintenance as well as replacement activities;

Pro Campus: Technical, financial and management training services to support the expertise of the network’s partners.