Hannover-based Continental AG is a leading automotive supplier and – according to the company – is “the choice of leading car manufacturers, offering award-winning tyres that deliver responsive braking in all weather conditions.”
On October 1, the German sales company operated by Mitas, ‘CGS Reifen Deutschland GmbH’, altered its company name to 'Mitas GmbH'. This renaming took place as part of the Czech Republic-based agricultural tyre manufacturer’s plan, announced in July, to bring the names of all 13 of its sales subsidiaries in line with that of the company’s core tyre brand over a three-month period.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe has appointed Sylvain Borré as European subsidiary director, effective immediately. Borré will report to sales and marketing director Nigel Hampson and be responsible for all commercial activity in France, Germany and Switzerland.
Following last week’s news that Graham Matcham left Cooper Tire Europe’s Avon two-wheel tyre operation, it has now been announced that he has joined leading two-wheel tyre wholesaler,Cambrian Tyres in the new position of Continental brand manager, motorcycle.
The Conti360° Fleet Services network in Europe is growing; in addition to the service package’s introduction into Hungary next month, Ireland now boasts a Conti360° presence. Continental Tyres has announced the establishment of a fully integrated partner network there, with 23 dealers and 37 sites across the country signing up.
As of October, Continental’s service package for fleet operators will be available in a further European market. The Conti360° Fleet Services package for truck tyres, first established in the core markets of Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Poland and the Czech Republic in 2010, and extended into Austria and Ireland this year, is scheduled to be launched in Hungary next month.
Continental AG has appointed Elke Strathmann its new director of Personnel and appointed her a regular member of the company’s Executive Board. The tyre and automotive supplier says the 53-year old mathematician and human resources manager will take up her three-year contract position during the first quarter of 2012. Current Executive Board member for human resources, Heinz-Gerhard Wente, will henceforth concentrate on his duties as head of the ContiTech division plus take on responsibility for corporate purchasing in the Executive Board.
Safer sporty driving through better synchronisation between tyre and vehicle – this is the aim of a new technology partnership agreement between tyre maker Continental and well-known German vehicle tuner Brabus. The two companies formalised their collaboration at the recent IAA motor show in Frankfurt, with Nikolai Setzer, head of Continental’s Tires division, and Brabus CEO and founder Prof. Bodo Buschmann signing the deal.
As a step towards achieving capital market viability, major Continental shareholder Schaeffler is to be transformed into a public company. The decision for the privately-owned Schaeffler GmbH to become Schaeffler AG (Aktiengesellschaft) – an entity similar to a British public limited company – was announced by Supervisory Board chairman F.W. Schaeffler on September 26. The stock corporation is expected to be entered into the commercial register in October and Schaeffler Group operations will henceforth be managed by an Executive Board.
The organiser of the Dubai International Motor Show has announced the signing on as Continental Tyres as “official tyre” for this November’s show. This is the first time the Middle East’s largest motoring event has had an official tyre sponsor.
Spanish vehicle manufacturer Seat is showing its support for Tyre Safety Month’s emphasis on winter safety with a campaign highlighting the benefits of winter tyres. The campaign will be run through more than 120 Seat dealers in the UK and explain to customers the main features of and qualities of these cold weather products – features familiar to those in the tyre industry but still an unknown for much of the British motoring public.
Amid various rumors that it was going to build another tyre plant there, Tire Review revealed that Bridgestone Americas planned to make a “major economic development” announcement at its plant in Graniteville, South Carolina today. It reported that both Gary Garfield, Bridgestone Americas’ president and CEO, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley were to be on hand for the announcement.
…or are we about to witness a real dip in tyre markets? While the massive drops in OE demand of a few years ago appear to have turned a corner, and while tyre manufacturers the world over are steadily ramping up production to pre-recession levels, some are questioning whether or not replacement markets have really felt the full force of the recession. Could 2011 be shaping up to be worse than 2008/2009?
The city of Mount Vernon, Illinois, has reportedly committed $735,000 in grant funding to Continental Tire’s (CTA) plant expansion in the city. The money is expected to go toward infrastructure improvements and equipment. For its part, CTA has committed to creating at least 440 new jobs.
Just over two weeks after reports surfaced that the UK government was targeting automotive suppliers for British manufacturing investment, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced plans to build a new £350 million engine plant in Wolverhampton. According to reports, the new factory will create around 750 skilled jobs to serve demand from Asia.
Continental has announced it is partnering with lithium-ion battery specialist Akasol Engineering in order to develop the next generation of lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles. The two German companies’ work centres on a scalable battery concept that allows for modular expansion to accommodate vehicles of varying size. The batteries under development will also utilise a fluid cooling system that uniformly cools all parts of the unit, an action that enhances battery performance, vehicle range and service life.
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