High-Level Government Representatives and Business Delegation visited Tires Plantof Continental in China

  • Matthias Machnig, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, and 17 top executives from German enterprises visited Continental in Hefei
  • Dr. Ralf Cramer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG, and Michael Egner, GM of Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd. welcomed the delegation in the plant
  • Continental has 26 production locations and 16 R&D centers in China, representing
    a workforce of over 23,000

Hanover/Hefei,2 November 2015 – Last Friday, a high-level delegation of the German Government led by Mr. Matthias Machnig, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, accompanied by seventeen CEOs and top executives from major German enterprises visited the Continental Tires Plant in Hefei, China. They were warmly welcomed by Dr. Ralf Cramer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG and President & CEO of Continental China,Mr. Philipp von Hirschheydt, Executive Vice President of Business Unit Replacement APAC PLT, and Mr. Michael Egner, General Manager of Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd. The high-level delegation’s visit took place in the context of promoting the economic relationships between Germany and China and enabled both an exchange as well as a guided tour through Continental’s top technology tire manufacturing facility in Hefei.Dr. Cramer gave the delegation an overview on Continental’s history, global sales, locations, people growth, future focus in China and Continental`s contributionto the Chinese economy.

“We are impressed to see the continuous growth and development of Continental in China and it is our great pleasure to visit today the most modern tire manufacturing facility in the Greenfield of one of the leading automotive suppliers worldwide in Hefei. We strongly encourage the exchange and cooperation within the automotive industry between Europe’s largest economy Germany and China, one of the Asia’s fastest growing economies, and we thank our hosts for welcoming our delegation today”, stated Mr. Matthias Machnig, State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for EconomicAffairs and Energy in his speech at the plant.

“We are honored to welcome Germany’s governmental and business delegation in our Hefei facility. It is an excellent exchange opportunity to discuss key aspects of the German-Chinese economic cooperation and present our twenty years investment experience in China”, highlighted Dr. Ralf Cramer, Member of the Executive Board of Continental AG and President/CEO of Continental China. In the meanwhile Continental also has become one of the top automotive suppliers and partners of the Chinese automotive industry, expanding its presence to 26 production locations and 16 R&D centers with more than 23,000 employees in the country. “We have witnessed and were part of China’s rapid economic development and we aim to further strengthen our position in China, as well as contributing to technology innovations and introducing global expertise to serve local customers and consumers in the future”, added Dr. Cramer.

“It is our greatest honor to host the high-level delegation of the German Federal Government as well as representatives of German enterprises in our Hefei tire plant today. This is the first tire manufacturing facility of our corporation in China; a major step that Continental took to enhance its position in the tire industry in China as well as in Asia Pacific region significantly. We started the investment in Hefei in 2008 as a Greenfield project and have expanded our manufacturing facility year by year, totaling by now an investment of over 290 million Euros and having a workforce of over 1,000. This new plant is equipped with state-of-the-art tire production equipment and applies leading environmental-friendly processes”, said Mr. Michael Egner, the General Manager of Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd. and the Plant Manager of the Hefei tire plant.

Members of the business delegation included CEOs or Chairmen from SMS group, Nokia / Nokia Networks,ThyssenKrupp AG, Voith GmbH,Bombardier Transportation, Grillo-Werke AG, etc.

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Continental AG

Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner, the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe, comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2014, the corporation generated preliminary sales of approximately €34.5 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tires, and ContiTech. Continental currently employs approximately 205,000 people in 53 countries.

Continental commenced its business in China in 1994 and has built successful partnership with all major customers in China. So far, Continental has expanded its presence in 26 production locations and 16 R&D centers, representing a workforce of over 23,000 in the country. Continental offers market specific solutions to the Chinese market with all of the corporation's five divisions.

Tire Division

As one of the world's leading tire manufacturers with more than 47,000 employees, the Tire Division achieved sales of €9.8 billion in 2014. Today, the division has 24 production and development locations worldwide. The broad product range and continuous investments in R&D make a major contribution to cost-effective and ecologically efficient mobility.

Passenger Car and Light Truck Tires

Continental is one of Europe's leading passenger car and light truck tire manufacturers and is the world's fourth-largest passenger car and light truck tire manufacturer in the original equipment and replacement business sectors. The product development focus of the Continental premium brand is to optimize all safety-relevant characteristics, while simultaneously minimizing rolling resistance.

Sponsorship

Continental's Tire division is an official sponsor of the German DFB Cup, Major League Soccer in the
U.S.A. and Canada and the UEFA EURO 2016TM in France.

Media database

For more information:

Vivian Wei
Location Communication Manager
Continental Tires (China) Co., Ltd
1588 Dabieshan Road, Nangang Technology Zone, Hefei 231283, Anhui, China
Tel.: +86 551 6279 6811
Mob: +86 157 1551 2266
E-mail: / Tina Chen
Head of Continental Communications China
Continental Automotive Holding Co.Ltd.
538,Dalian Road
200082 Shanghai,P.R. China
Tel: +86 21 6080 4551
Mobile: +86 186 1633 0627
Email:

Your contact

Vivian Wei +8605516279 6811