At the 64th IAA Commercial Vehicles show, Continental launched what the company described as its most comprehensive product offensive for truck and bus tires in the over 140-year history of the Hanover-based tire manufacturer. From mid-2013, Continental successively will switch over all of its steering axle, drive axle, trailer and bus tires across the world to the new Generation 3.
The company said the second tire generation provided a starting point for the latest developments, taking the properties of the previous tires such as high mileage, low rolling resistance, maximum safety and a high-quality casing with optimum retreadability and continuing on a higher level with regard to maximum customer use.
“The new tire generation sees us provide customers in the transport and logistics industry with advanced tires that will allow them to operate even more efficiently in face of increasingly tougher competition,” said Herbert Mensching, head of Truck Tires marketing and sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The main aim for the tire developers was further reducing fleet costs for customers, he said.
In other news, Continental announced that it is establishing a new retread plant for truck and bus tires as well as a facility to recycle rubber from used tires at its headquarters in Hannover. The company said the facility makes use of the synergies between the retreading and recycling production.
With an investment of more than 10 million Euros, Continental said it is strengthening its position in Western Europe and further developing its ContiLifeCycle approach in production. The new pant will be established at Hannover-Stöcken, creating more than 100 new jobs.
Continental also announced that tire industry veteran Gary Sass has joined the company as U.S. sales manager for the Industrial Tire business unit. Also joining the industrial tire team in a newly-created position is Jason Stickley, who will manage new business development in the United States and reports directly to Sass.
