Executives at Continental have celebrated the 111th anniversary of the company’s Korbach plant in Germany.
Mayor Klaus Friedrich; district administrator Dr Reinhard Kubat; member of the Continental executive board Hans-Jürgen Duensing; representatives from local institutions and business partners; and the local management team attended a celebratory ceremony alongside around 5,000 employees and their families.
Over the past 10 years the tire maker has invested more than €250m (US$293m) in the installation of new production technologies, capacity expansion, and growing its team by 20% to 3,600 employees – which in a city of 23,500 inhabitants makes Continental the city’s biggest employer.
Nikolai Setzer, head of the tire division and member of the Continental executive board, said, “In achieving many milestones, the tire plant in Korbach has been key to the success of the tire division in achieving its Vision 2025. My sincere ‘thank you’ to all our employees, local partners and institutions who have helped us to grow.”
More than 50 nationalities comprise the Korbach factory workforce. Lothar Salokat, plant manager and host of the event, noted how he fosters a corporate culture based on diversity and teamwork, embracing differences, supporting new ideas and encouraging intercultural exchange: “Over our 111-year history, our employees’ sense of affiliation with the region and with Continental has been the unique strength of the Korbach plant.”