Official opening held for Conti’s Sumter tyre plant

Continental Tire the Americas has thanked “everyone who came from near and far and braved the weather” to attend the opening of its Sumter factory in South Carolina. Despite the arrival of an Arctic cold front, on 28 January several hundred guests, including Germany’s Ambassador to the US and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, attended the facility’s official inauguration.

Addressing guests, Jochen Etzel, CEO of Continental Tire the Americas, said “today’s celebration is recognition of the successful collaboration between business and government. I would like to personally thank Governor Haley, the state of South Carolina, the Ports Authority, Sumter County and the city of Sumter. Their strong support made this project a reality.”

“Today we are celebrating the opening of Continental Tire’s Sumter facility – a $500 million investment that is creating 1,600 jobs,” added Nikki Haley. “Continental’s success in South Carolina isn’t an accident, it’s what happens when you combine a great product with a strong business environment and skilled workforce. This is another example proving that ‘Team South Carolina’ can deliver products of the highest standards and meet the demands of companies around the world.”

According to Continental, investment will actually exceed US$500 million and result in around 1,600 new jobs in South Carolina alone. The plant currently employs approximately 290 people and produced its first market-ready tyre on 23 October 2013. The facility’s first phase will reach a production capacity of approximately five million units per year in 2017. A second phase is expected to bring the plant’s full production capacity to approximately eight million units per annum by 2021. The plant’s production programme includes Continental and General-branded passenger car and light truck tyres; these will be supplied to both OEM customers and the aftermarket segment.

Nikolai Setzer, member of Continental’s Executive Board and head of the company’s global tyre business, attended the opening ceremony and shared with guests that “the opening of this plant is a very important milestone for our goal of growing our tyre business in the United States. This beautiful new facility contains the highest level of machinery and technology to produce the best car and light truck tyres possible. And, most importantly, we began to produce tyres three months ahead of schedule. The Sumter plant is an important part of Continental’s growth strategy worldwide. This $500 million investment is our very clear commitment to providing our customers with the tyres they need to grow their business.”

Including the money spent in Sumter, Continental Tire the Americas will have invested more than $1.85 billion in manufacturing, technology, facilities and product development in the US, Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil since 2005. In addition to its projects in the US, Continental is currently also expanding production capacity in Russia, China and Europe.