Pirelli is investing in Puglia and the digital skills of its youth by opening a new centre for the development of software and digital solutions in Bari. The project was born of a fruitful meeting between the public and private sectors and foresees 50 new hires by 2025 between recent graduates and managers specialized in the development of software, particularly in computer science, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and smart manufacturing. These new professional profiles with be in addition to the approximately 160 people who today work in Pirelli’s digital team in Italy, with the goal of greater internationalization of digital skills in strategic and differentiating areas of the company’s strategy.

Pirelli’s new “Digital Solutions Center” will allow Pirelli to strengthen its activities of software development, strategic in the context of the Digital Transformation that the company has been implementing for some time, and to enhance the skill of the region that today has become one of Italy’s major digital hubs.

The Digital Solutions Center – located in via Mazzitelli, in the Poggiofranco area – will flank and strengthen Pirelli Digital’s operations units focusing on the development of software and algorithms of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in support of areas of Sales & Marketing, Product Development, Smart Manufacturing & Industrial IOT, Integrated Business Planning and facilitating the development of New Products and Digital Services for the Tyre world. Today Pirelli’s Digital function counts 500 people at the global level, between Headquarters in Italy and the various units in the macro-regions where the company is present with its 18 plants in 12 Countries and Service Operation Center with worldwide coverage located in Craiova, in Romania.

Bari, a university hub of excellence

To promote the young talents of Bari, the region’s capital which in a relatively short time has become a pool of skills linked to innovative disciplines such as  data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security, Pirelli has launched a cooperation program with the University of  Bari – in particular with its degree course in Computer Science and Data Science – and with the Bari Polytechnic – which among its courses includes a degree in Computer Engineering and Digital Transformation – which entails the creation of joint research and development and initiatives such as  career days, seminars and hackathon, as well as internship programs, apprenticeships and scholarships.

The development of the new centre consolidates the links between Pirelli and the university world and reinforces its open innovation model that today sees that company at work on around 40 projects and 12 Universities.