Conti Breaks Ground on Asia Headquarters & Engineering Centre

On January 16 Continental AG held an official groundbreaking ceremony for its new Continental Asia Headquarters and dedicated Engineering Center in China. The new facility was first announced in July 2007 and Continental reports that a total of 60 million euros will be invested into the project, located in the Yangpu District of Shanghai. When complete the facility will encompass a total floor space of approximately 14,000 square metres, including a 14-floor office building. From May 2009 onwards nearly 900 Continental Group employees from the company’s Tire, Automotive and ContiTech divisions will be housed in the new premises. The site will also house one of Conti’s two key Engineering Center operations, supporting the design and testing of certain electronic products. Another facility with large-scale equipment for bench testing will be located in Shanghai’s Jiading District.

“The Asia Headquarters office and China Engineering Center that we are building here will mark one more significant milestone of the growth of Continental in China with the aim to reinforce our position as a leading automotive supplier and to provide more effective and advanced technical support to our customers in the Chinese market,” said Jay Kunkel, President Asia of Continental AG. “We have travelled a long road to get to today and we are proud to mark this major step in the new journey and begin to build the exciting future that we have discussed, agreed upon and planned for over the past few years.”