Continental targets 16m tyres per year

The German tyres producer Continental will continue the policy to increase the production volume of the plant it owns in Timisoara in an aim to increase output to 16 million tyres per year until 2008. “The group intends to expand the Timisoara plant with its production capacity to grow by 28% to 16 million tyres per year,” stated Thomas Sattelberger, a member of the Executive Board of Continental AG. When it was inaugurated in 2002, the plant produced 1.2 million tyres a year, and reached 10.5 million tyres last year. Estimates by the officials of the company put this year”s output at 12.5 million tyres. Continental has so far invested 170 million euros in its Timisoara unit, with the average daily capacity standing at 32,000 tyres. The plant produces tyres with a diameter ranging from 13 to 16 inches, which are designed to reach speeds of up to 240 km/h. Besides from the premium brand of the group, Continental, the plant also manufactures tyres for Barum, Uniroyal, Mabor, Semperit, Gislaved and Viking brands, as well as for a series of other brands exported to the markets of Europe and the United States. The German group also owns industrial components plants Contitech Timisoara, PHX Romania and Phoenix Unio in Carei, Satu Mare county, as well as the car parts plant Continental Automotive Products in Sibiu. ZF