Moreover, the international automotive supplier and tire manufacturer will extend and enlarge its CST product range and customer service portfolio focusing on three main sectors: Industrial Material Handling, OTR Material Handling and Underground Mining. The new strategy benefits customers with improved products and services to better meet particular needs.
To kick off its new business strategy, Continental will market a portfolio of tires for the port business by end of June 2013. A revolutionary technology optimized for port operators will be introduced, offering better durability and faster loading times. Port logistics is a challenging yet promising market. According to estimates, over the next twelve years the global harbor business will double capacity with a steady growth of seven percent per year.
A new version of the underground mining product portfolio is also planned over the next few years. Another core project is CST’s new eco-friendly solid tire called Continental LifeCycle: By reusing selected tire casings, the amount of energy and raw material in the tire manufacturing process is reduced. This innovation puts Continental in the pole position in meeting the demands of customers and markets for commercial specialty tires.
The extension of the product portfolio is part of Continental’s Tire Strategy 2025.
“Continental CST is confident that sales will increase in 2013”, says Dr. Michael Andreas Maertens, Managing Director of Continental CST. “We are determined to grow against market trends due to our efforts to step into new segments and enhance our product portfolio.”
Continental Commercial Specialty Tires aims to extend its strong position in Europe and gain ground in other regions of the world. Focus on regions outside the established markets will be in Asia, Africa, and the BRIC states (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
With sales of €32.7 billion in 2012, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires, and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 173,000 employees in 46 countries.
As one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers, with more than 42,000 employees, the Tire division achieved preliminary sales of €9.7 billion in 2012. Today, the division has 22 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.
Â
The Commercial Vehicle Tire business is one of the largest manufacturers of truck, bus and specialty tires worldwide.