Press Release
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Continental opens Research & Development Center for tires
in Hefei, China
 Leading tire manufacturer boosts development resources for the Chinese market
and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole
 Investment of over €4 million creates capacity for some 6,000 tire tests per year
 Continental aiming to further expand its range of summer and winter tires for APAC region
Hanover, April 24, 2015. At the end of March, Continental opened a new Research and
Development Center for tires on the site of its tire plant in Hefei, China. The initial construction
phase, on an area of around 6,000 m², has created capacity to machine-test some 6,000 tires
a year and represents an investment volume of over €4 million. Plans for a second phase are
already being drawn up to generate capacity for an additional 1,000 tires to be tested. “This
new facility represents another step in the systematic implementation of our ‘Vision 2025’,
a program for growth that targets a better global balance of our research and development,
production and sales activities. At the new Research and Development Center in Hefei,
summer and winter tires for the APAC region will be developed and tested, with the aim of
reinforcing our market position in this important growth region,” explained the Executive Board
Member responsible for the Tire Division, Nikolai Setzer. “The guiding principle behind our
growth in the booming Chinese automotive market remains our motto ‘in the market, for the
market’,” Setzer added.
As befits one of the world's leading tire manufacturers, Continental has equipped the new
Research and Development Center with state-of-the-art test equipment. This includes a
drum test bench that was custom-built for year-round testing of winter tires for the highgrowth Chinese market. As a result of this investment, in the future Continental will be able
to develop new generations of summer and winter tires for the Chinese market much faster
and more efficiently. “We want to be able to offer our customers in the Chinese market fuelefficient products with a long service life,” said Catherine Herchenroder, Director Research
and Development Replacement Passenger Car and Van Tires APAC. “Given the boundary
conditions of a robust market, our development program will also feature smart robustness
solutions.”
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Your contact
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Press Release
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With the new Research and Development Center, Continental has further expanded its
development capacities in the region. The tire manufacturer is aiming to respond even faster
to existing and new consumer needs, as well as in its business with OEM partners in China
and Asia. “Our Research and Development Center in Hefei will help us forge even closer
links with our customers in both the replacement and original equipment sectors, opening the
door to long-term relationships with new customers in the region,” said Philipp von
Hirschheydt, Executive Vice President Passenger Car Replacement Tires APAC. “We will
also be working closely with other labs in the region and are aiming to further expand our
facilities in the next few years.”
Continental’s main tire research and development facility with more than 1,200 engineers,
chemists and many other tire experts is located in Hanover-Stöcken in Germany. On the
way to series production, every new tire model at Continental undergoes a whole array of
rigorous tests at indoor test facilities and on outdoor test tracks. In the EMEA region, the
main proving grounds are the Contidrom near Hanover (Germany), the Winter Test Center
at Arvidsjaur (Sweden) and the Test Center in Puchov (Slovakia). In the Americas,
Continental has access to the world’s largest tire proving grounds at Uvalde in Texas (USA)
and the APAC region now has the new indoor Research and Development Center in Hefei.
Also in China, at Yancheng in Jiangsu Province, in mid-April the groundbreaking ceremony
took place for construction of a new Test Center for the Automotive Division, with operations
due to start in approximately one year’s time. The 2,500 m² site will provide office facilities
and test workshops as well as access to test tracks on which the latest technologies and
applications can be tested, including not only brake systems but also high-speed tires. One
facility that is unique world-wide in terms of tire test procedures is the fully automated allweather Automated Indoor Braking Analyzer (AIBA) at the Contidrom. Here, passenger car,
van and 4x4 tires can be tested on wet and dry road surfaces at speeds of up to 120 km/h
without the need for a test driver. Thanks to the fully reproducible, maximum precision tests
at the AIBA, today Continental can tell much more accurately and much faster if a new tread
pattern really delivers the wet and dry braking performance that is laid down in the respective
specifications.
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Your contact
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Press Release
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Continental AG
Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable
partner, the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe, comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2014, the corporation generated sales
of €34.5 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tire, and ContiTech.
Continental currently employs approximately 200,000 people in 53 countries.
www.continental-corporation.com
Tire Division
The Tire Division currently has 24 production and development locations worldwide. The broad product
range and continuous investments in R&D make a major contribution to cost-effective and ecologically
efficient mobility. As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers with more than 47,000 employees, the
Tire Division achieved sales of €9.8 billion in 2014.
Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental is one of the leading manufacturers of passenger and light truck tires in Europe and the
world's fourth largest passenger tire manufacturer in the original equipment and replacement market.
The product development focus of the Continental premium brand is to optimize all safety-relevant
characteristics, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance.
www.continental-tires.com
Media Database
www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com
Contact:
Alexander Bahlmann
Head of PR, Passenger and Light Truck Tires
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2615
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
alexander.bahlmann@conti.de
www.continental-tires.com
Your contact
Klaus Engelhart, Phone: + 49 (0) 511 938 2285
Klaus Engelhart
Press Spokesman, Passenger and Light Truck/TwoWheel Tires
Continental AG
Tire division
Büttnerstrasse 25, 30165 Hanover, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 511 938 2285
Fax:
+49 (0) 511 938 2455
klaus.engelhart@conti.de
www.getyourgrip.com