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 employees are on the run – for a good cause. During ContiRunningWeek 2012, which is now underway, around 18,000 Continental employees at 90 sites will set off on runs or walks to raise money for charity. A number of local fundraising activities have been arranged, and Continental Corporation will donate the proceeds from its activities to Welthungerhilfe, a German charity that combats hunger and health issues around the globe.
US-based company Act(s) Marketing has been named the sponsorship marketing agency of record for Continental Tire in the US and Canada. In this capacity, Act(s) will serve as the official and exclusive agency representing Continental Tire in the ongoing activation of current sponsorship programmes along with exploration and evaluation of potential new partnerships throughout the region.
In American advice magazine, Consumer Reports’ latest tests of all-season and winter replacement tyres, Michelin and Continental lead the way, Tire Review reports. However, the results show that many tyres offer good overall performance. In total, CR tested 78 models of all-season and winter tyres: 20 T speed rated all-season tyres; 20 H speed rated and 22 V speed rated performance all-season tyres; and 16 winter tyre models.
Sailun says its winter tyres has been established in the North American and Canadian market for several years, and the company is now seeking to increase its seasonal prominence in Europe with its Ice Blazer range. Sailun is accessing the continental markets through appointed distributors covering traditionally strong winter tyre markets in Scandinavia and the Baltic region, as well as in Germany, where recent legislation has increased the profile of winter products, and Austria. Now, Sailun says it is seeking to add distribution of the product to the more temperate climates of France, Benelux and the UK, where it says distributors are “considering stocking the Ice Blazer patterns”.
Continental has placed US dollar-denominated bonds worth US$950 million with institutional investors in Germany and abroad. According to the company, the bonds have a seven year term and are being issued by Continental Rubber of America, Corp., USA, and guaranteed by Continental AG and selected subsidiaries. The annual interest rate will be 4.5 per cent and is substantially lower than the interest rate on the bonds issued by Continental in 2010. Interest will be payable semi-annually in arrears. The proceeds will be used for the early repayment of part of the debts scheduled to mature in April 2014.
Continental is now offering truck tyre retailers tyre labelling help through its website. As well as a comprehensive overview of the new EU tyre label legislation, its background and targets this said to include information on how to read the label, its implications for different industry sectors and importantly, its relationship to lowering the cost of driving.
Following the news that Continental AG shares will once again be traded on the German DAX list, financial analysts have been assessing the impact that this likely to make on the company’s share price. For its part Morgan Stanley estimated that the impact will actually be “relatively small from a trading perspective – circa 1-2 days of trading volume and circa 1-2 per cent of the current available freefloat.”
Continental has developed its first winter coach tyre, the HSW 2 Coach. Designed primarily for safety, but with the varying road surfaces involved in coach travel applications, quiet running, comfort and economy also in mind, the tyre, suitable for use on all axles of the coach, uses “intelligent tread pattern design” to provide the characteristics necessary for winter passenger transportation. But the really clever bit is that the tyre has been designed to wear in a way that will make it suitable for continued use when spring arrives.
Almost four years after being shown the door at the DAX 30, Germany’s Continental AG is set to re-enter the exclusive group of the 30 major German companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Stock exchange operator Deutsche Börse announced Conti’s return to the DAX 30 on the evening of 5 September.
Say Ni Hao to two of Hefei’s newest ‘honourary citizens’. At a recent ceremony in the capital of China’s Anhui Province, Mr. Burkhardt Koeller, Continental Tire division’s executive vice-president Finance and Controlling, and Dr. Tobias Kerle, general manager of the company’s Hefei tyre plant, were awarded Hefei City ‘honourary citizenship.’ This distinction, says Continental, is an official award acknowledging the Continental Tire division’s contribution and long-term commitment to Hefei city’s economic development. Mr. Wu Cunrong, secretary of the Hefei Municipal Party Committee, presented the award to Koeller and Kerle.
It is 25 years since Michelin launched the first radial motorcycle road tyres, and the French manufacturer has announced that it will mark the occasion at London’s Ace Café. Michelin will attend the venue’s regular monthly ‘Streetfighter Night’ on Friday 7 September, with ex-250 and 500cc world champion, Freddie Spencer. Spencer will arrive at the café at around 18:00-18.30 on a Michelin Pilot Road 3 liveried Virgin Limobike, which has been painted to mark to company’s switch to the ground-breaking Michelin sport touring tyres, which are now fitted to its entire fleet of Yamaha FJR1300s.
Continental boasts that its latest North American replacement market tyre, the PureContact, brings together “best-in-class wet braking, fuel efficiency and ride comfort.” The all-season tyre is available to North American consumers in a number of 15 to 18-inch rim diameters, a UTQG rating of 700 AA, and H and V speed ratings.
Family-run steel haulage company Randall Barber Transport reports that it is saving an average of eight pence per kilometre per tyre with Continental, with each tyre travelling up to 10,000km further compared with the fleet’s previous brand of tyres. The company also say it is enjoying the benefits of technical advice from the manufacturer’s Technical Services team. The firm originally selected Continental as preferred tyre supplier in 2009.
Continental Tire the Americas announced a major expansion of its US headquarters in Ft. Mill, South Carolina. US industry publication Tire Review shares that the three year old headquarters building will be extended by 16,000 square feet, creating a total area of 91,000 square feet. Along with a larger floorspace, the expansion will bring 80 new jobs to the headquarters over the coming four years.
The inaugural plant manager of Continental’s still under construction Sumter plant in the US has been named. South African Craig Baartman, a 18-year Conti veteran, will be responsible for the factory’s overall leadership of the facility which, according to Continental Tire the Americas’ CEO Jochen Etzel, is scheduled to open in late 2013.
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