24th March 2017
Tire Technology International, UK based trade journal, honoured tyre manufacturer Continental with the title of Tyre Manufacturer of the Year for 2017.
The Tyre Manufacturer of the Year award celebrates innovation and excellence, particularly honouring the bright ideas and hard work put in by the tyre design and production industry. Candidates are either nominated by readers of Tire Technology International or put forward by members of the editorial team.
The judging panel was made up of tyre experts from Europe, Japan, India and the United States who chose to award Continental for their impressive long-term ‘vision’ strategy and due to a number of innovative and excellent projects in 2016.
Continental’s innovative projects over the previous year have included the opening of the High Performance Technology Centre in Korbach, Germany and the Taraxagum project, which involves the industrialisation of natural rubber from dandelion roots and production of the first ever truck tyre made using dandelion rubber. The judges also cited Continental’s forthcoming projects including a research and development centre for agricultural tyres in Lousado, Portugal and the expansion of Continental’s truck tyre production operations in Otrokovice, Czech Republic.
In context of its ‘Vision 2025’ strategy, since 2011 Continental has invested more than 3 billion euros in the construction of new production plants in Hefei (China), Kaluga (Russia) and Sumter (USA). Thereof 350 million euros has been invested in expanding the Corporation’s existing plants around the world. In 2016 for the first time ever Continental produced a worldwide total of more than 150 million passenger car and light truck tyres, while at the same time achieving a much better regional balance between EMEA, The Americas and APAC in terms of production and sales. As a result, Continental is firmly on course to realise its Vision 2025.