BREUBERG, Germany-The floods inundating much of Europe also waterlogged the tire production facilities of Pirelli S.p.A. and Continental A.G. In Breuberg, Germany, rain and melting snow forced the waters of the Mumling Creek over its banks Jan. 26 and through Pirelli's Reifenwerke factory grounds.
Pirelli estimated the flooding caused up to $6.5 million in damages and resulted in 150,000 units of lost production during the closure and cleanup. Production resumed Jan. 30 and Pirelli expected to return to full capacity Feb. 5.
The Breuberg plant has a daily output of about 20,000 car tires, a large percentage of them high performance lines.
At the same time, Continental A.G.'s Uniroyal-Englebert SA unit in Clairoix, France, was forced to suspend production Feb. 2 after flood waters from the Oise and Aisne rivers started seeping into the factory. The Clairoix facility produces 24,000 tires a day.