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.”
Continental’s winning streak in this year’s winter tyre tests continues with victory in the latest from German magazine Sportauto. The comparative evaluation of ten tyres featured in the current issue (11/2017) places the WinterContact TS 850 P in first place together with the first-generation Goodyear UltraGrip Performance.
When Continental AG set out its plans for building a new headquarters in Hannover, Germany, it talked about a project that would “reach into the high double-digit million-euro range.” One German newspaper writes that the tyre and automotive systems manufacturer is now looking at a bill more than twice this amount.
No I am not talking about the unqualifiable rumours that Doublestar made an offer of up to 250 million euros for Zenises. Rather, that in the first week of September we learnt that Doublestar’s proposed acquisition of Kumho was collapsing before the firm’s eyes after the Qingdao-Chinese tyre manufacturer asked for a double-digit discount. And it is also worth considering what all this means for the wider tyre manufacturing sector.
Michelin has taken first place in Tyres & Accessories annual online brand prominence table, conducted in association with analysts NetNames. Following the news that Michelin is the strong online brand in terms of social media equity both in the UK and globally, the French tyre maker is no doubt delight to continue its historically strong showing. However, for the second year in a row, Continental overtook Michelin in terms of brand sentiment. And when you consider that Continental is also Michelin’s main contender in terms of social media equity, it now appears that pole position in the online space is a two horse race between Michelin and Continental. That’s said, at the other end of the spectrum mid-range and economy brands have registered some significant increases in online brand prominence during the last 12 months.
Continental Tyres has been selected to share its expertise in the Government’s Parliamentary Review 2016/17. The Parliamentary Review launched officially at the House of Commons On Tuesday 19 September. The contribution from Continental appears alongside a foreword by the Prime Minister and other senior parliamentarians.
Looking back on the year of UK industry and Westminster, the Review showcases best practice to act as guidance to the public and private sectors. In the document, Continental highlights its global initiative, Vision Zero, a commitment to reduce road accidents, injuries and fatalities through improved driver education, automotive systems and premium tyres.
Continental has presented two new tyre technology concepts to increase road safety and comfort: ContiSense and ContiAdapt. The two systems enable continuous tyre condition monitoring and situation-matched adaptation of tyre performance characteristics to prevailing road conditions. Both technologies made their public debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA).
A further milestone in Continental’s return to the agricultural tyre business was reached last week with the official opening of its production site in Lousado, Portugal. To begin with, the plant is manufacturing two ranges – the Tractor70 and Tractor85 – in 13 sizes.
The initial two products in the reborn Continental agricultural tyre portfolio will debut at the Agritechnica show this November. The radial Tractor70 and Tractor85 ranges share the same design; Continental comments that both are “characterised by their robustness and durability” and “ensure a high degree of ride comfort and tractive force.”
Bandvulc has announced that Faccenda Foods Ltd have extended its contract with Bandvulc’s fleet management division, BVPlus+, to March 2019. The company first became a client in 2008 and the two firms report that they enjoy “a robust business relationship which has gone from strength to strength over that time”.
Never say never. These were the words uttered by Prof Dr Burkhard Wies, passionate physicist and vice-president of Tire Line development at Continental when asked at the end of 2015 about the likelihood of an all-season tyre range for Europe. These three words flew in the face of everything we assumed the staunch supporter of seasonal tyre fitment stood for, yet weren’t altogether surprising in light of growth occurring in the all-season segment. What Wies didn’t mention at the time was that Continental was already working on an all-season range that would come to market less than 18 months later.
Continental has reported the untimely death of Alexander Bahlmann, who headed communications and public relations for passenger car and light truck tyres within the company’s Tire division. Bahlmann died suddenly last Friday, aged just 46.
Having invested millions to develop automated driving technology, Continental may need to invest in winning drivers over to the advantages on offer. A survey undertaken on the company’s behalf suggests many of us would struggle to hand control over to the car.
Magazine titles belonging to the same publishing group streamline costs by sharing tyre testing resources, and as a result often draw similar conclusions. This was the case for the motorcycle tyre tests published by German magazines Motorrad and PS. Both Motorrad’s May 2017 evaluation of six touring tyre brands and the test of these products appearing in the September issue of PS magazine name the same brand as winner. Continental is therefore celebrating a “second test victory in just three months” for its ContiRoadAttack 3.
A collaboration between Continental’s Tire division and Kordsa, the Sabanci Group’s textile reinforcing materials business, is expected to result in a new, sustainable system of bonding textile reinforcing materials to rubber-based compounds. Specifically, the two companies are working on a technology that replaces resorcinol and formaldehyde with more environmentally friendly chemicals. Continental reports that to-date the joint work has delivered “very promising” results, adding that the technology will be available to others under a free licensing concept.
Continental Tyres has announced that it is sponsoring the NTDA Annual Dinner on Thursday 12 October 2017 at the Double Tree by Hilton, Milton Keynes.
Hosted for the 88th time, the NTDA Annual Dinner is seen as the leading social event in the tyre industry, during which the association will be recognising the achievements of some of the UK tyre industry’s key stakeholders.
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