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 has voiced its pleasure in taking the top slot in evo magazine’s 2014 summer tyre test. The ContiSportContact 5 was voted the winner in the test of nine size 225/45R17 tyres after taking first place in the wet handling, wet braking and dry braking tests.
Slow and constant air pressure loss is one of the most common causes of tyre failure in port environments and other industrial settings. The consequences of tyre damage and the vehicle downtime that results from it are costly and disruptive to the supply chain. As a means of minimising such problems, Continental Commercial Specialty Tires (CST) has extended its ContiPressureCheck tyre pressure management system into the specialty tyre segment. Continental says its system is reliable and facilitates greater tyre lifespan. ContiPressureCheck is suitable for use on all types of industrial vehicles and functions with all brands of tubeless pneumatic tyres.
Continental Tyres has become the official partner of women’s football in Ireland after entering into an agreement with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI). The tyre maker takes on title sponsorship of the Women’s National League – now the Continental Tyres Women’s National League – and will also lend its name to the Continental Tyres Women’s FAI Cup, the Continental Tyres Women’s Senior FAI Cup and the FAI’s Elite Camps that foster the development of emerging football talent. The Continental Tyres Women’s National League got underway on 24 August, and the tyre maker’s support during the season is underpinned by the strapline ‘Getting you to the game safely’.
Apollo Tyres recently signed up as a sponsor to German football club VfL Wolfsburg, and Continental is also back with the team for a second year – the German tyre and automotive component manufacturer’s ATE aftermarket equipment brand will continue as a premium sponsor of the Bundesliga club for the 2014-2015 season. The ATE sponsorship is in keeping with Continental’s sponsorship strategy and involves displaying the brand logo on stadium LED perimeter boards during all VfL Wolfsburg Bundesliga games.
Continental has named Peter Wagner managing director of Continental Aftermarket GmbH, the Interior division business that specialises in products for the independent aftermarket. Wagner, previously sales manager within the business, began in this role on 1 July. He succeeds Helmut Ernst, who left Continental to take up a position at ZF Services.
After extending its partnership with NASCAR Group company the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Continental Tire the Americas will continue as official tyre of the Tudor United SportsCar Championship and exclusive tyre supplier and sponsor to several event classes. The company will also remain entitlement sponsor and exclusive tyre supplier to the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. All up, Continental says it will continue as the ‘official tyre of IMSA’ through to 2018.
Approximately 170,000 Continental brand motorcycle tyres are covered by a voluntary tyre exchange programme that Continental has introduced after receiving market feedback about a number of size 120/70 ZR 17 and 120/70 R 17 tyres; these tyres, explains Continental, have exhibited a condition in the tread and/or belt which may lead to separation and possible air loss. The tyre maker says only a very small number of incidents have been reported and it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries in connection with this condition. It adds that the exchange programme is being initiated to avoid any potential risk to road-users.
Continental describes the opening of its first children’s daycare centre as a “milestone in its strategy of supporting families.” The Hanover-based facility opened on 1 August and has space for 50 children aged between eight weeks and school age. Continental employees working at the Vinnhorst, Stöcken and Vahrenwald sites in Germany are able to use the new centre. In addition to local educators, an English-speaking employee will be present at the daycare centre at all times so that, as human resources representative Claudia Heinrich explains, “interactions with foreign languages will be integrated into the children’s daily routine in a playful manner.”
The 100 per cent acquisition of exhaust technologies specialist Emitec by Continental took effect yesterday. Continental has bought out former 50/50 joint venture partner GKN and will integrate Emitec into its Powertrain division. The Emitec operation will be combined with Continental’s Fuel Supply business unit to form the new Fuel & Exhaust Management business unit.
Financial analysts have offered their response to Continental’s second quarter financial results, welcoming outperformance (particularly in the tyre division), but also pointing out that increases in guidance simply bring the firm in line with consensus expectations.
Continental Corporation has again increased its earnings forecast for the 2014 fiscal year. Upon publishing the company’s second quarter and first half results, Executive Board chairman Dr. Elmar Degenhart said Continental is now aiming for an adjusted EBIT of 11.0 per cent rather than the 10.5 per cent announced in March (when it was increased from 10.0 per cent). This 11.0 per cent target is supported, the company says, by the ongoing trend towards favourable natural rubber prices.
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.
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