The fifth edition of the annual “Podio Ferrari” took place today at Maranello. This awards ceremony is held each year by Ferrari to reward suppliers and technical partners which have excelled in innovation and product development whilst working with the Prancing Horse. This year’s Podio was attended by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari General Manager Jean Todt, and Vice General Manager Amedeo Felisa.

“ Podio Ferrari ” recognises and rewards specific company qualities such as innovation, technology, technical achievement. This year, for the very first time, Ferrari also introduced a special award for Italian excellence.

Alcoa . “ The President’s Award ” was presented by Luca di Montezemolo to Alain J. Belda, President and CEO of Alcoa for: "the company’s consolidated and renewed partnership with Ferrari on one of the essential components in the success of the Prancing Horse cars: the aluminium chassis”.

Brembo . The “ Ferrari Innovation Award ” was presented by Ferrari General Manager Jean Todt to Alberto Bombassei, President and CEO of Brembo, for: “the company’s continual innovation and progress in honing the performance of its braking systems in close collaboration with Ferrari’s engineers”.

Saint-Gobain Sekurit . The “ Ferrari Technology Award ” was presented by Ferrari’s Vice General Manager Amedeo Felisa to Saint Gobain Sekurit International’s Director of Sales, Marketing and Projects Javier Gimeno "for having developed the innovative electrochromic glass technology and for applying it in an exclusive world first to the roof of Ferrari’s new Superamerica”.

The “ Italian Excellence ” award went to Veca for “the consistent excellence with which it has been assuring high precision mechanical components for the Ferrari Formula 1 single-seaters for many years.” The award was presented by Ferrari Vice President Piero Ferrari to Alessandro Verasani, Veca’s Sole Director.

As happens each year, the Podio Ferrari also provided a platform for a debate on high profile issues of professional interest. The subjects addressed this year included achieving commercial success through technological content and innovation, the profitability of industrial products belonging to the luxury segment, and the importance of people, structures and technologies in the attainment of success. The debate was chaired by journalist Antonio Calabrò.
 

Speakers included Amedeo Felisa, Alain J. Belda, President and CEO of Alcoa, Massimo Bergami, Professor of Business and Human Resources Management at the University of Bologna’s Faculty of Economics, Alberto Bombassei, President and CEO of Brembo, Domenico Bordone, CEO and Director General of Fiat Powertrain Technologies S.p.A., Javier Gimeno, Director of Sales, Marketing and Projects at Saint-Gobain Sekurit International, and Giancarlo Michellone, Director of the Fiat Research Centre.

Alcoa is the world's leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum, and alumina and is active in all major aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation, and industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production, and other capabilities of Alcoa's businesses as a single solution to customers. The company has 131,000 employees in 43 countries.

Brembo S.p.A. is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance braking systems for cars, motorbikes, commercial vehicles, competition cars and aftermarket, operating with 23 production sites and offices in 11 different countries. Brembo’s workforce numbers 4,000; nearly 10% of these are engineers and product specialists working in research and development.

Saint-Gobain Sekurit is a leading world-wide manufacturer of automotive glass and glazing systems, the company is headquartered in Paris, employing approximately 12,200 people among 40 manufacturing facilities in over 22 countries; 2004 turnover was approximately 1,8 billion euro. The market share of Saint-Gobain Sekurit is around 45% on European level and 23% on a world-wide basis, being one of the 3 top glazing manufacturers in the world; Saint-Gobain Sekurit is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the top 100 industrial companies in the world, with 32 billion euro turnover in 2004.

Veca S.p.A. custom manufactures extremely high precision mechanical components from special alloys such as steels, aluminium and titanium, for its clients. These components are then used in cars competing in the leading motor racing competitions. Veca has been a Ferrari supplier since 1994, specifically manufacturing engine and chassis components for the Scuderia.