Conti to Review Romania Production as OE Orders Decrease

Production output at Continental’s Timisoara factory in Romania will be reduced due to falling orders from OE customers. Numerous vehicle manufacturers, including Dacia and Volkswagen have temporarily suspended production in recent weeks, and Michelin has already announced a planned two-week pause in production at its Romanian facilities during December.

Conti has not specified the extent of its changes to production output, but company representatives indicate that production will not be halted. While original equipment sales are down, the replacement tyre market has been more resilient. “Moreover, Romanians have started becoming more interested in acquiring winter tyres,” reported Continental Romania market manager Martin Zaloudek. “This has also been felt on the market and, according to Continental estimates, the winter tyre market will hit 800,000 units this season, up 40 per cent year-on-year.”