Continental to Invest USD 10 Million in new US Tire R&D Facility

Continental has revealed that the company would be investing approximately USD 10 million in a new indoor tire test center. The center will be located in Uvalde, Texas, at the company’s U.S. proving grounds. The investment will result in the creation of a new test center that will have adequate capacity for indoor testing of all the tires made at German tire manufacturer’s plants in North and South America.

Speaking about the new tire testing facility, Dr. Boris Mergell, head of research and development for Passenger and Light Truck Tires at Continental said that it will complement Continental’s vision of being the preferred technology partner for Continental’s Original Equipment customers for tires, and increase the company’s speed in coming up with new technologies meant specifically for the Americas market.

Dr. Juan Botero, vice president of key account management for Original Equipment Passenger and Light Truck Tires for Continental Tire the Americas said that the new test center will have a positive impact on the development of tires for OE customers in the Americas as it will significantly add to the company’s testing capacity in the region. The company expects the test facility to be fully operational by April 2019.

Investment in facilities like the new indoor testing center will play a crucial part in achieving success in the Tire division’s long-term strategy known as Vision 2025.

From 2011, the tire division has invested over USD 3 billion to expand and diversify its global manufacturing and sales footprint. This has led to establishment of new plants like the one in Sumter, South Carolina, expansion of the capacity in existing plants and projects as in the case of the Automated Indoor Braking Analyzer (AIBA) at the proving ground Contidrom in Germany, as well as the High Performance Technology Center (HPTC) in Korbach, Germany. All these developments has led to the emergence of Continental as one of the key players in the tire industry.