Ferrari has officially opened its e-building that will see the production of cars with all types of powertrain, with a focus on sustainability.
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Ferarri’s e-building, the factory that will produce internal combustion-engined cars, hybrids and Ferrari’s first electric model, the SF90 Stradale, was inaugurated 21 June in the presence of Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Welcoming him was Chairman John Elkann, Vice Chairman Piero Ferrari, CEO Benedetto Vigna and representatives of the Ferrari workforce.
“We’re honoured to have President Mattarella with us for the inauguration of the e-building, a plant that combines the centrality of the people in the workplace with respect for the environment,” commented Ferrari’s President, John Elkann.
“Investing in our territory is essential to prepare ourselves for Ferrari’s future with confidence and confirms our commitment to Italian excellence and to our country.”
Through the e-building, Ferrari is enhancing its production flexibility in line with its strategy of prioritising revenue quality over quantity. The plant also reflects the principle of technological neutrality, as it will house the production and development of internal combustion engines, hybrid engines and new electric motors, each capable of delivering Ferrari’s signature driving excitement.
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The integration of the production of the entire range in a single building will allow Ferrari to reorganise and reallocate all production activities more efficiently among its existing facilities in Maranello, increasing its ability to adapt quickly to production needs.
The project, designed by Mario Cucinella Architects, took two years to complete and houses 300 workers in a total area of 42,500-square-metres.
The e-building, a facility equipped with state-of-the-art technology, will also produce the strategic electrical components that are highly relevant to differentiating Ferrari’s technology and performance: high-voltage batteries, electric motors and axles.
The building, designed to achieve the highest levels of energy performance, is powered – among other sources – by more than 3,000 solar panels installed on the roof that produce 1.3 mw.
With the shutdown of the trigeneration plant, scheduled for the end of the year, the building will be powered entirely by renewable energy, generated from both internal and external sources with a guarantee of origin.
Several cutting-edge solutions have been adopted to reuse energy and rainwater in the production cycle, for example, more than 60 percent of the energy used for battery and motor testing will be recovered in accumulators and redirected to power new processes.
The plant was built north of the Ferrari campus, which is being expanded. The area was acquired and redeveloped without additional land consumption by replacing obsolete and energy-dispersive industrial structures.
The training and well-being of workers was a priority in the design of the building, which houses a dedicated training space.
The training path for people selected for the new lines began two years ago, with the aim of delving into the skills and processes that are needed for the new systems and products, as well as strengthening knowledge related to the electric motor.
In full continuity and synergy with the mechanical and electronic skills that have always been Ferrari’s heritage, additional competencies, for example in chemistry and battery assembly production processes, have been developed.
Manufacturing processes are equipped with collaborative robots, which adapt their behaviour according to the operator’s needs, and digital twins, which create a digital replica of products and processes.
These solutions make it possible to put technology under the control of and at the service of employees, whose role is thus further elevated within the production process to ensure the excellence and attention to detail that distinguishes the Ferrari range.
In the facility, various solutions have also been designed to improve the well-being of people in the work environment: ergonomic workstations, relaxation areas, acoustic and visual comfort, and the correct mix of natural and artificial lighting are some of the aspects that are the most beneficial.
The e-Building is a confirmation of Ferrari’s central role in the local industrial landscape – a role reinforced by continuous investments made in tune with the specific needs of the local community.
The integration of the building into the urban context was perfected through an urban redevelopment of more than 100,000 square metres and a redesign of the road infrastructure. In fact, a road serving the site and a 1.5-kilometre bike path connected to the town’s network have also been built.
The road design, in particular, ensures heavy traffic is concentrated to an area around the e-Building logistics hub, reducing its intrusion on pedestrian routes.
The exterior façades and main interior spaces of the e-Building were designed by MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects, a firm at the forefront of the development of sustainable solutions and urban regeneration, in synergy with the Ferrari team.
Rectangular in shape and 25 metres high, the new building is in harmony with the landscape and surrounding buildings and is recognisable for a facade with a tailor-made, highly efficient skin.
The choice of opaline glazing, interspersed with portions of clear glass, attenuates the building’s imposing visual mass and allows for natural light to be distributed within it, while at night it resembles a glowing lantern.
The components of the façade were designed and manufactured according to Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) logic, in order to facilitate their on-site assembly and maintenance operations. This enabled cost efficiency and reduced environmental impact related to the materials and processes used.
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