Continental recently opened its new research and development center at its tire plant in Hefei, China. The initial construction phase on an area of around 6000m² has created capacity to machine-test 6000 tires a year and represents an investment volume of over €4m (US$4.5m). Plans for a second phase are already being drawn up to generate capacity for the testing of an additional 1000 tires.
The R&D facility is equipped with state-of-the-art test equipment including a drum test bench custom-built for year-round testing of winter tires for the high-growth Chinese market. As a result of this investment, in the future Continental will be able to develop new generations of summer and winter tires for the Chinese market much faster and more efficiently.
Nikolai Setzer, head of the tire division and member of the Continental executive board, noted, “At the new research and development center in Hefei, summer and winter tires for the APAC region will be developed and tested, with the aim of reinforcing our market position in this important growth region.”
May 13, 2015
