FERRARI LAUNCHES NEW PRODUCTION LINE FOR CALIFORNIA

Ferrari has taken the wraps off the all-new production lines built for its latest model, the Ferrari California, and revealed wide-ranging changes to its Maranello factory that improve working conditions for its staff and further lift the Ferrari production facility’s environmental credentials.

The changes to the factory are the latest phase in the ‘Formula Uomo’ programmed launched in 1997 by Ferrari’s President Luca di Montezemolo and CEO Amedeo Felisa. The programme is divided into several different sections: working environment, layout of the Ferrari ‘village’, focus on safety, environmental awareness and energy saving, and employee and family services.

“Excellence is the driving force behind all of Ferrari’s activities,” says President Luca di Montezemolo. “We intend to create a working environment unlike any other anywhere in the world. A working environment where safety and environmental protection coexist in harmony in facilities designed and constructed with the workers’ needs in mind. Not only should all of Ferrari’s staff be able to avail of high tech tools and work stations, they will also have a pleasant working environment in which to use their skills and express their creativity. It is a working environment in which safety and environmental awareness are priorities.”

The latest two buildings in terms of working environment to be constructed are the new Company Restaurant designed by architect Marco Visconti and the New Car Assembly Lines designed by architect Jean Nouvel, winner of this year’s internationally prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize.

The new company restaurant is located at the very heart of the Ferrari “village”. Designed as a place where employees can meet and socialise, it is surrounded by a partly covered square where workers can relax during their breaks. This is the same concept that inspired the creation of new refreshment areas such as the garden area created inside the Ferrari Engine Foundry.

The new Car Assembly Lines are the second new addition to the Ferrari campus. These are where the melding of artisan skills and avant-garde technologies is at its most advanced. Every single work station has been designed to improve work quality by reducing worker movement and enhancing ergonomics in a climate-controlled environment that guarantees comfortable working conditions all year round. The Lines are surrounded by large windows that open onto a green area featuring the historic red-painted wall of the facility built by Enzo Ferrari in the 1960s.

“With the addition of these two new buildings,” stressed the Ferrari President, “we have completed the renovation of the entire Car Production Area that began in the late 1990s, and has involved the investment of over 200 million euro. Next year we will be going one step further when we begin work on the new facility for the Ferrari Formula One team.”

Great emphasis has been placed on safety in the work place, environmental awareness and energy saving throughout the project.

“Our goal,” says Luca di Montezemolo, “is to have a production facility in which there is zero possibility of an industrial accident. We must, however, remain aware that this objective can only be attained with the full cooperation of all those involved. This is why we have increased both our investment in structural work and in training this year. In 2008 alone, in fact, we will be investing over four million euro. However, I repeat that investment alone is not enough. Each one of the men and women working in Ferrari must feel responsible for their own safety and that of their co-workers.”

With regard to environmental protection and energy saving, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa introduced the two latest projects embarked upon: a photovoltaic system and a tri-generation plant.

“These new energy generations plants,” says Amedeo Felisa, “will allow us to cut the amount of electricity we take from the national grid by 25 per cent and to reduce our CO2 emissions by 35 per cent. By the end of this year we’ll have saved tens of tonnes of CO2 emissions. 

“This emphasis on environmental awareness has also led to the extension of the green areas both inside and outside the company buildings. Thus far we have planted more than 1,000 trees along the central boulevard named in honour of Enzo Ferrari and the streets that open off it named in honour of our various World Champions. The overall objective of this urban planning project is to provide pedestrian walkways and cart routes for production services. We will also soon be adding a series of shelters in which over 100 bikes will be parked for employees to use in moving around the factory.”

Also presented today was a series of new services for employees and their families which range from free medical/fitness check-ups for all employees and their children, first and second home loans at competitive rates, personalised loans for family requirements, and discounts on school and university textbooks: a wide and varied package of concrete services designed to improve quality of life beyond the gates of the Maranello complex and which further enhances the already  broad range of employee services. The latter include Maranello Village, a dedicated residential complex for Ferrari employees which provides a quick and easy living solution for individuals moving to the town from other areas.