Edited by JOHN W. McCURRY john.mccurry bounce@conway.com Pirelli's Romania Plant Targets Top- End Markets Pirelli Tire launched manufacturing operations at its Slatina, Romania, plant in October. The plant employs about 770 and will eventually be home to 1,000 jobs. P irelli Tire began manufacturing at its new facility in Slatina in the Olt province of Romania in October. The Italian tire manufacturer invested approximately €170 million (US$225 million) in the plant, which will target high- performance markets in Europe. When fully operational, it will produce more than 4.5 million tires annually and employ about 1,000. It is located near the steel- cord facility Pirelli opened last year.    The industrial complex, including the steel- cord facility, covers 5,385,000 sq. ft. (500,000 sq. m.). Pirelli officials say the new facility will enable the company to boost capacity to respond to market demand in the top- end segments, which are rapidly expanding in Europe and globally. The company believes that Central and Eastern European countries will become a major market for high- performance tires over the next several years (see Eastern Europe Spotlight, p. 58). To augment the manufacturing operations, Pirelli plans to add logistics, data processing and sales services to support expansion in the region.    Pirelli signed a cooperation agreement with Craiova University in Olt for an intensive training project based on post- graduate courses and joint research projects. Scotch Enthusiasts Create New Distillery A new single malt whisky venture has been launched in Scotland which challenges traditional business models by creating a modern production company built around a democratic, non- corporate community of whisky enthusiasts. Ladybank Company of Distillers has been launched on a global scale before a single drop of whisky has been bottled. The "consumer- owners" of the business will wait several years before they receive their first bottle.    The Ladybank distillery is being constructed through a sensitive restoration of an old mill and some historic but derelict farm buildings in the Bow of Fife, Scotland. The facilities will be the smallest in the Scotch Whisky industry.