http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/ Lyerly, GA News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/fdf43f79d225f9718772a00459ec609a.html Pirelli continuing its expansion in the United States announced a 15 million investment today that will boost manufacturing capacity by 20 percent at its Modular Integrated Robotized System MIRS factory in RomeThe local factory produces highperformance tires for the North American market using stateoftheart technologyThe announcement was made at Pirellirsquo;sworld headquarters in Milan Italy during Gov Sonny Perduersquo;s economic development missionto Europe ldquo;Pirellirsquo;s announcement is just the latest expansion of international companies here in Georgiardquo; Perdue said today ldquo;Georgia has all the advantages that companies are looking for when considering investment in the American market and our expectation is that we will continue to see new jobs and investment stream to our staterdquo;Pirelli leaders say expansion supports US strategyThe investment will increase the number of MIRS production lines from four to five The expansion phase is scheduled to become operational during the first quarter of 2009 according to the Georgia Department of Economic DevelopmentThe Rome facility headquarters for Pirelli Tire of North America produces tires for both original equipment and replacement markets in North Americaldquo;Our Romebased MIRS facility supports Pirellirsquo;s strategic growth plan for the North American market We have achieved significant share of market gains and a 30 percent sales increase over the past three yearsrdquo; said Hugh Pace CEO and chairman of Pirelli Tire North America ldquo;The new expansion of our MIRS manufacturing facility will bring highimpact jobs to the Rome area and also demonstrates Pirellirsquo;s strategy of investing in our ongoing partnership with the state of Georgia and its office of Economic Developmentrdquo;Pirelli says its decision to increase production of high performance tires in Georgia is part of its North American growth strategy begun at the start of the decade Over the past three years Pirelli has seen large gains in its North American market share with a 30 percent sales increase and now supplies its ultrahigh performance tires to some of GM and Fordrsquo;s highest performing car models the new Camaro and Mustang respectively as well as Mercedes and BMW transplant modelsldquo;I am very proud of Pirellirsquo;s commitment to growing its Romebased MIRS manufacturing facilityrdquo; said Andrew Kearton Pirellirsquo;s vice president of Manufacturing and OE Sales ldquo;This expansion demonstrates dedication to strategic growth for Pirelli in the North American market The additional workforce positions we are adding to support the expansion are highskill jobs that will operate a stateoftheart automation process that is recognized as the most advanced in the tire industry We also look forward to continuing our relationships with local colleges and the Georgia QuickStart program that will help us realize this growthrdquo;MIRS inaugurated in 2000 is a highly automated system that allows for flexible and rapid response to market demand making it possible to operate efficiently even in markets where the cost of labor is high Robots manage the entire production cycle without interruption and without having to move semifinished products That means there is no need for intermediate warehousing phases thus maximizing energy efficiency during the manufacturing process Integrated software coordinates all production steps starting with product design mdash; cutting costs and production timeLocal officials welcome 15 million investmentLocal officials say the joint announcement from Perdue and Deputy Chairman of Pirelli Tire Alberto Pirelli is welcomed news for Floyd County the city of Rome and the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerceldquo;Wersquo;re delighted that Pirelli has continued to invest in Rome and Floyd Countyrdquo; said Jerry Jennings Floyd County Commission chairman ldquo;We appreciate Pirellirsquo;s confidence in our workforce business climate and quality of life and welcome further expansion from this fine corporate citizenrdquo;Added Rome Mayor Wright Bagby ldquo;Another international business expansion means good news for us and we appreciate what Pirelli does with and for our communityrdquo; ldquo;Pirellirsquo;s expansion is welcomed news for usrdquo; said Randy Quick chairman of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce board of directors and chairman of the board of the RomeFloyd County Development Authority ldquo;Existing industry is a high priority and we are pleased with the additional investment Pirelli will bring to our community Pirellirsquo;s corporate citizenship is truly significant as wellrdquo;Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce President Al Hodge is in Italy for the announcement to express appreciation for the important role that Pirelli plays in the local communityBrooks Mathis of Rome project manager with Georgia Department of Economic Development assisted the company in its expansionPirelli Tire North America in Rome designs develops manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles motorcycles and race cars for original equipment and replacement markets The Rome MIRS site employs stateoftheart technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets It has about 250 employeesThe Pirelli news comes about a month and a half after Perdue announced Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc will create an estimated 400 new jobsand invest 270 million as part of its third expansion since 2004 http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/85d4dbf3685469bad994dd2b6b061075.html Seventeen North Georgia cities counties and communities were awarded 3 million in grants from the Appalachian Regional Commission ARC http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/a968618628967ec701b3cbddd4021f6a.html Gov Sonny Perdue announced Wednesday he will lead an economic development mission to Spain from Sept 27 to Oct 3 Republican state Sen Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga has been tapped by the governor to accompany this trade delegation representing the state Department of Transportation mdash; but more importantly Northwest GeorgiaMullis who represents Senate District 53 which includes Walker and Catoosa counties is chairman of the Senate Transportation CommitteeHe is also director of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority whose purpose is to bring business into the fourcounty region it represents mdash; Walker Catoosa Chattooga and Dadeldquo;I am honored the governor would recognize me to go with him on this trip which not only gives our transportation initiatives a big boost but also helps Northwest Georgiarsquo;s possibilities when it come to traderdquo; Mullis saidThe delegation will meet with economic development prospects during the trip as well as visiting some of the worldrsquo;s top companies in transportation infrastructure and financingMullis said specific businesses are being pursued by the delegation ldquo;The identities of the businesses are being held close to the vest by the governorrsquo;s office and we wonrsquo;t know them specifically until he discloses them during the triprdquo; Perdue explained his reason for the trip ldquo;Our nationrsquo;s softening economy has intensified the competition among states for economic development prospects We will continue our successful push for new jobs and investment from European companies eager to invest in the American marketrdquo;Mullis said while the governor will be exerting his influence to bring business and industry to the state he will be doing what he can to specifically bring them to Northwest GeorgiaThe triprsquo;s itinerary covers stops in Barcelona Madrid Lisbon and Milan where the Georgia delegation will meet with companies and government officialsMullis said the governorrsquo;s trip would not only focus on trade but also on transportation issues facing Georgialdquo;Europe has some of the worldrsquo;s most innovative ideas on financing transportation infrastructurerdquo; Perdue said ldquo;We will see some of these ideas firsthand in order to understand what approaches could be used here in Georgiardquo;Mullis agreed ldquo;They truly have some unique aspects we are looking into like publicprivate partnerships for new thoroughfares for Georgiardquo;Mullis explained that the creation of a new eastwest connector linking I75 with I85 north of Atlanta is an idea the state is considering but is looking for a way to funding the project Some European countries allow private dollars for funding such a project and use a tolling system for the private dollars to be paid backldquo;The governor and I are both against existing roads being tolled but new roads that could be built by the private sector but owned by the public sector the state maybe considered as a publicprivate partnershiprdquo; Mullis said ldquo;So they private companies would build the road and set a toll for use of the road according to market price and with a contract over a period of years so the state would eventually take it over or continue the contract with its private partnerrdquo;Mullis said he would push for the creation of any such a connector to be located as far north of Atlanta as possible to encourage its benefits being enjoyed by North Georgia Also accompanying Perdue on the trip is a delegation of government and elected officials including Commissioner Ken Stewart of the Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Gena Evans of the Georgia Department of Transportation and Executive Director Dick Anderson of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority House Transportation Committee chairman Vance Smith as well as Mullis will also join the delegation for the transportation portions of the itineraryIn Barcelona Perdue and the delegation will call on company officials and meet with President Joseacute; Montilla of the Catalonia region The governor will give a keynote address at an ldquo;Invest in Georgiardquo; seminar hosted by the USSpain Chamber of Commerce to an audience of Spanish companies interested in bringing business to GeorgiaAt the same time the American Chamber of Commerce in Madrid will host a business roundtable on energy and technology where Commissioner Stewart will speak on a panel titled ldquo;The Evolving Energy Model in the United Statesrdquo;The Madrid portion of the trip includes a number of transportationrelated meetings including a visit with executives from Cintra a Spanish company that is a world leader in developing transportation infrastructure The delegation will also tour two Spanish publicprivate road projects and meet with SEOPAN the Spanish Transportation Association Perdue will also call on a number of Spanish companies in the regionFrom Madrid Perdue will make a stop in Lisbon where he will call on Portuguese manufacturer EFACEC Group which is building a manufacturing facility in Effingham County and Brisa one of Portugalrsquo;s top highway management companies After leaving Lisbon the governor will meet with Pirelli officials in Milan Pirelli operates a tire manufacturing facility in Rome GaMullis said the cost of his trip is being paid out of his pocket but believes the investment dividend is worth the money to possibly bring more jobs into Georgia especially into Northwest Georgia during this economic slowdown gripping much of the nation This mission marks the 16th overall international trip and third to Europe of Perduersquo;s 68 months in office Previous visits include: Germany and the United Kingdom June 2003; Japan and Korea October 2003; El Salvador Guatemala and Honduras May 2004; Brazil Chile and Argentina June 2004; Mexico September 2004; Canada July 2005; Japan October 2005; Israel November 2005; Korea March 2006; Ireland the United Kingdom France the Czech Republic Germany and Belgium June 2007; Japan and Korea October 2007; Canada November 2007; China MarchApril 2008; and China August 2008 The governor also visited with US military personnel during a Thanksgiving 2005 trip to Iraq Kuwait Qatar Afghanistan and Pakistan CLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/9e544ef5207b0eef430d544012de473c.html ATLANTA mdash; Four weeks into the schedule has Class A and AA welcoming two new members each into this week's Associated Press high school football poll http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/834da0a264bddc0b954193d9ca5de077.html Older generations may be used to and more comfortable with lowtech living but computers mdash; and particularly the Internet mdash; can open doors that might even amaze them http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/0e86fd5f8fc064c4b50abc24f2af05a9.html Georgiarsquo;s association of elected coroners says mandated budget cuts at the state agency that performs nearly 3000 autopsies a year could mean longer waits for families of the deceased and higher costs to county taxpayers http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/22d03a4e109160ede707fcca569beb8d.html ATHENS http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/lyerly/content/12fd113c5618ad8efc55b8195aa31d34.html SOUNDOFF: Post your commentsUPDATED with comments from state Sen Jeff MullisNorthwestern Technical College will merge administrative services with Coosa Valley Technical College in Rome GaIt was announced earlier this month that the merger was being considered by the Technical College System of GeorgiaNorthwestern officials were not available for comment Monday morningNorthwestern is headquartered in Rock Spring and serves Northwest Georgia It has a satellite campus on Battlefield Parkway in RinggoldAccording to the Technical College System of Georgia neither campus will be closed as a result of the merger but personnel will be cutCoosa Valley Tech president Craig McDaniel said a significant reduction in both schoolsrsquo; budgets is expected ldquo;Each school will lose 250000rdquo; McDaniel said ldquo;We donrsquo;t have the luxury to lose 700000 or 800000 without losing peoplerdquo;Specific personnel cuts have not yet been announced ldquo;Wersquo;re going to take care of this consolidation thing itrsquo;s been given to us and wersquo;re going to make it workrdquo; McDaniel saidRepublican Sen Jeff Mullis of Chickamauga said of the merger ldquo;I am against the merger Our local legislative delegation is advocating against it We donrsquo;t want to lose our local identityrdquo;But Mullis said he also understands the need behind the merger ldquo;I understand the state must take strong measures to avoid a looming budget crisis The state is looking to save money The governor has given a directive that each department throughout the state is to cut operating costs by 6 percent This is the technical college systemrsquo;s way of meeting the governorrsquo;s directiverdquo;Under the proposal administrative services at 14 of the statersquo;s technical schools will be consolidate into seven The state has 33 technical schools Each of the 14 campuses will continue to operate The mergers are expected to save about 35 millionldquo;Combining the office of the president will save the state moneyrdquo; Mullis saidBut he said he regrets seeing the office cut from Northwestern ldquo;The current administration of Jeff King interim president at Northwestern has been outstanding He is to be applauded for filling the office vacated by longtime president Dr Ray Brooksrdquo;Brooks left Northwestern in February to become president of Piedmont Technical College in Greeenwood SC Related content on catoosanewscomNorthwestern Coosa Valley tech colleges could merge published Sept 10CLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage