TNT Logistics Italy has signed a 12 million euro agreement with Pininfarina under which TNT will manage the transport of 650 different types of components (totalling over 156,000 cubic metres of material) from over 100 suppliers to production facilities in Italy and abroad. The agreement will last for three years. The components will be used to manufacture sports coupe' Alfa Romeo Brera in two of the design and engineering firm's facilities in the province of Turin during the next five years.

The car sector accounts for half of the turnover of the Pininfarina group in Italy. In 2005, TNT Logistics Italy reported a turnover of 1,080 million euros and employed around 7,200 People. In Italy, the group has 1,650,000 square metres of floor space in its network of warehouses. The history of the Pininfarina group, which is one of the best known suppliers of services to the car sector, can be traced back to the early 1930s.

Founded in 1946 by Ken Thomas, the Australian courier TNT achieved rapid growth in its home market during the 1950s by expanding road and rail freight services across the country. It developed new overnight express products and services. In 1961, the company went public and was listed on the Australian stock exchange. Following TNT’s growth in Australia and New Zealand, the 1970s and 1980s witnessed global expansion as it reached into new markets to gain a foothold and instant market share, buying transportation companies in Europe, North America and Brazil.
 

It diversified into transportation businesses ranging from ocean freight to commercial aviation. By the early 1980s, the TNT pioneers had sensed that the centre of gravity in terms of new growth opportunities had shifted from Australia to the European continent. Major acquisitions strengthened its position in the overnight and time-definite express industry.

European Community plans to promote free trade by eliminating tariff barriers among member states spurred TNT to purchase a fleet of BAe 146 Quiet Trader aircraft, thus creating the first pan-European overnight express service using a dedicated aircraft fleet. By the start of the 1990s, the TNT group of companies had 70,000 employees. But its bid to become a worldwide player in transportation through rapid acquisition had led it to diversify too quickly, losing focus and overextending into non-core businesses. It faced financial difficulties and sought new sources of investment through financially strong partners. In 1996, the Dutch national postal service took its first major steps into the international express business by acquiring the still Australian-owned TNT group, heralding a new era for the post and express industry.