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.”
While Continental says it will “stay on the ball” regarding its football sponsorship and confirms its intention to place a stronger focus upon sponsoring regional events in future, the tyre and automotive systems manufacturer hasn’t gone so far as saying it will not sponsor the FIFA World Cup 2018, as one German newspaper reported last week.
At Continental’s Supplier Day 2014, held recently in Prague, the tyre maker and automotive systems provider honoured suppliers that offered “outstanding performance” last year. The company gave Supplier of the Year 2013 awards to 16 of its approximately 900 key suppliers at a ceremony attended by 370 invited guests. Awards were given for excelling in four key areas: quality, technology, logistics and purchasing conditions.
According to a German newspaper, Continental plans to step down as a World Cup sponsor. The Hannoversche Allgemeine (HAZ) writes that in future the tyre maker intends instead to solely sponsor regional confederations, such as Europe’s UEFA. This change to the company’s multi-million commitment is also said to apply to the next World Cup. “We have nothing more to do with the coming events in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022,” the newspaper quoted a Continental spokesperson as saying.
It appears Germany’s ZF Friedrichshafen may be looking to acquire US-based automotive parts supplier TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. A statement issued by TRW Automotive yesterday confirms that it “received a preliminary, non-binding proposal to acquire the company,” however the statement didn’t go beyond saying it was evaluating the proposal. TRW Automotive did not give any details about the interested party; Bloomberg named ZF Friedrichshafen based upon information it says comes from people with knowledge of the matter.
Germany’s contribution to this year’s World Cup hasn’t just been some spectacular football and a memorable 7-1 victory over the host nation in the semi-final; sponsor Continental has produced three World Cup-themed tyres to mark the event. Each of these limited edition products feature stylised footballs and the FIFA World Cup logo on the sidewall – but unfortunately, none are available for sale here.
Continental aims to place workshop services centre state at the upcoming Automechanika show in Germany and demonstrate that, now more than ever, the company embodies the formula that “top-quality products + A to Z service = success for workshops.” Amongst the products Continental will present in Frankfurt am Main between 16 and 20 September are tyre pressure monitoring sensors, belt drive components, air springs and diagnostic devices. The company also promises a number of new additions to its product portfolio.
Two UK truck tyre service providers have received awards for service excellence at Continental Tyres’ Conti360 Partner Conference last month.
In addition to producing tyres, Continental designs and manufactures various automotive systems components, and for a number of years has collaborated on research into automated driving systems. But coming up with the technology to drive without a driver is one thing – being able to actually do so without breaking the law is another. Yesterday at ‘Zuliefer Automotive’, a Munich-based trade fair focusing on future trends and technologies, Continental’s head of research for automotive electronics called for legislation to keep pace with the market.
When employees in Continental’s home country have work-related issues, they can go to Hell. They’ll be pleased to do so, as members of the Continental Corporation Works Council have elected Frank Michael Hell the council’s new chair, effective immediately. Council vice-chair is Hans Fischl, who previously held the position of chair on the works council. The corporation’s works council currently consists of 44 members and represents the interests of the approximately 50,000 Continental employees in Germany.
Another sign that Mitas is looking ahead to the day when it relinquishes the license agreement for Continental-brand agricultural tyres can be seen in the Czech Republic-based tyre maker’s decision to solely market its newest Super Flexion Tyre (SFT) range in Europe under the Mitas brand name. The six Mitas SFT sizes previewed at last November’s Agritechnica show – 900/60R42, 710/60R34, 650/60R34, 710/65R46, 750/65R26, 580/85R42 – go on sale this month and three further dimensions – 620/75R26, 1050/50R25, 1250/50R32 – will enter the market later in 2014.
Maserati has homologated Continental’s ContiSportContact 5 for original equipment on its Ghibli. The Continental tyre will be supplied in eight 18 to 12-inch dimensions, and all Maserati-approved fitments will carry the letters ‘MGT’ on the sidewall. The Ghibli approval follows last year original equipment homologation for the Quattroporte.
What do you do if you’re a World Cup sponsor and it isn’t feasible to fly all your customers over to Brazil? You can always bring Brazil to your customers. This is the approach Continental has taken, and over a three-week period the tyre and automotive systems manufacturer is inviting dealers and other guests to its own slice of South American paradise, some 30 miles north of the German city of Hannover.
Following a two-year planning and construction phase, Continental reports the successful implementation of the first operational phase at its ContiLifeCycle facility in Hannover, Germany. “Following the official plant opening last December, the series production of retreaded tyres began in the plant at the start of the year,” reported the tyre maker on 13 June. “With this, important goals in regards to product characteristics have already been achieved. Furthermore, additional process-related enhancements are expected due to ongoing process improvements.”
It isn’t easy to achieve an A/A rating on the European tyre label, at least not if you appraise tyre performance according to the guidelines, but Continental has managed it with the all-new Conti.eContact. The latest generation of tyre to carry this name is initially available in six sizes for 17 and 18-inch rims as a replacement fitment for the European market. Low volume production has begun at Continental’s Sarreguemines tyre plant in France.
This year’s annual tyre manufacturer rankings have brought with them a number of key changes at the top of the table. The growth of Far Eastern manufacturers and Chinese companies in particular has long been observed, but 2014 sees Singapore-based Giti Tire break into the top 10 and Taiwan-based Maxxis/Cheng Shin Rubber retains its ninth position. Hot on Giti’s heels, 11th place ZC Rubber (producer of the Westlake brand) gained one place from its position in last year’s table. Indeed this part of the table is extremely close and, such is the competition at this level, if ZC Rubber had achieved the same figures as last year (assuming no-one else had done any better and excluding currency effects) it could have been in 10th position.
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